Hyperdemise Nepgear Re:Try
by Delusion Dreamer - Iota
Summary: It's a known fact that going through a near-death experience is enough to dramatically change someone. But what about death itself? What about several deaths? If one were able to go back to before their demise, just how much of the same person would they be? Not entirely, if the case of a certain undying girl is to be believed.
1. Undying

_**Once again I am here, with some random stuff!**_

 _ **Because I have lots of free time.**_

 _ **Also, that was a lie. School is killing me and I'm literally wasting what little social life I have left writing this.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Onto the story!**_

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 _ **Disclaimer: Until I am a soul who can possess people, I'm neither Compa nor IF. Give it a month or two, though.**_

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 _ **The multiverse theory. The concept of infinite worlds across reality, each one taking a different path.**_

 _ **It is quite an interesting prospect, is it not?**_

 _ **According to it, all is real somewhere, from simple, fickle dreams to highly complex visions.**_

 _ **That means there is a world out there wh** **ere**_ _ **Gamindustri itself soars in the skies.**_

 _ **In another, the Lastationite CPU's arrogance led to her own fall.**_

 ** _And in yet another, the Planeptunian CPU and the Lastationite CPU married each other in order to save a nation._**

 _ **Undoubtedly, there is also one where the Deity of Sin exploited the power of stories, only to fall at the hands of the most unlikely heroes.**_

 _ **But not all worlds need to be so different.**_

 _ **There is a world where the CPU who creates swords prefers spears instead.**_

 _ **There is a world where the CPU who grants wishes and dreams does not have such an ability.**_

 _ **There is a world where a certain CPU has a very special power hidden within.**_

 _ **There is a world where a slightly more reckless CPU's rash actions lead to her tragic and needless end.**_

 _ **And, of course...**_

 _ **There is a world where the latter two are true at the same time.**_

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 **HYPERDEMISE NEPGEAR RE:TRY**

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 ***Prologue***

 **Undying**

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CPUs. Goddesses.

No matter what one prefers to call them, they are Gamindustri's competing leaders and its powerful guardians, a group of warriors who wield divine powers unmatched by any mortal in the land in order to protect this world.

As such, it is be inconceivable for them to fall before any enemy, for none is strong enough to defeat them all.

At least that's what the lilac haired girl once believed.

 _'This... This can't be true...!'_

That's what she screams in vain inside her mind, but as much as she'd like, _love_ , to believe that, her eyes and ears don't lie. Wide in absolute horror, light blue eyes remain focused forward, never leaving the scene before them.

It's as if all her nightmares became true at once.

 _'No way... This shouldn't be happening...'_

"GAH!" "KYA!" "UGH...!" "ARGH!"

A gasp escapes the girl's lips each time they're hurt, each time they _scream._ And yet, even as her mind shouts at her to do something, _anything_ , to help them, her body is frozen in fear, her thin, white gunblade not moving an inch as her arm remains petrified.

They're struck. They fall. They get up. They're hurt once more.

It's a horrible vicious cycle, one which the girl has been watching ever since the beginning, not raising a hand to help them.

Not moving a limb to help _her sister._

 _'This can't be happening... It can't...!'_

And so, she simply observes how they attack, how they fail and how they continue fighting, as if they have a chance.

The girl knows they don't.

Nepgear knows they're all **dead**.

Their enemy is too strong. The one fighting the four CPUs at once is simply far more powerful than anything she's ever seen before. Her _impossible_ appearance only heightens the terror in the Candidate's mind.

A mature face, one of a fully fledged woman. Long neon pink hair, easily reaching her feet, tied in twintails by dark, spiked hairties. A left yellow eye, the place where the right one might be being covered by a black eye patch. Violet skin, complementing her hair whose color is more vibrant. Dark lips, natural instead of mere lipstick. Pointy ears, revealing her heritage to the world.

An elf, without a doubt. She truly has the exotic beauty of one.

If only that was all she had...

A bikini-like armor, mostly black with yellow and pink details. Eight laser-bladed wings, the laser's color going from yellow to scarlet as it extends from the black metal forming the equipment. A big, dark halo above her head, formed by two circles and several spikes decorated with her colors pointing outwards. An horrible black scythe, with a laser blade the same as her wings'.

Processor Units and an impossibly advanced weapon.

She's a CPU, no matter how everything Nepgear knows goes against that notion. She's a CPU, even if her armor looks nothing like the Candidate's white leotard. She's a CPU, _and the strongest of them all._

Had the situation been different, the Planeptunian Candidate would have found an idol, an amazing woman to look up to.

Instead, she found a _monster_ , and as she watches her destroy her friends—no, her sister and acquaintances who _could_ become her friends—the girl can only see how _terrifying_ she is.

Every time the CPUs hit the ground, it takes longer to raise to their feet. Every time they're hit, their movements grow more sluggish.

It doesn't come as a surprise when, one by one, they fall and remain still.

And when even Purple Heart herself can't stand up anymore, her HDD only remaining active by some miracle, a single word sounds in the girl's mind.

 _'No...'_

A horrible smirk crosses the woman's face as she turns towards Nepgear, and without a word she begins to move, calmly walking towards the frozen Candidate.

 _'No... It can't be...'_

The girl doesn't even register when her legs give in, knees hitting the ground mere seconds before her long, lilac hair does the same.

She can't bring herself to care about the latter, however.

 _'No... No... No...'_

The woman is now before Nepgear, eyeing her with obvious amusement.

 _She'll die._

 _Maguc will **kill** her._

The girl starts shivering, her body ignoring her attempts to run, her mind repeating again and again how futile it would be.

 _'No... No...!'_

The woman's grip on the scythe tightens, her smirk grows.

And then...

"NO!"

It all happens too fast.

In a miraculous moment of control, Nepgear points her gunblade forward and, without hesitation, raises in an upwards stab, praying for it to hit, for it to have _any effect_ on her enemy.

For an instant, the Candidate sees the woman's amber eye widening, and a small flicker of hope shines in her mind.

A split-second later, the girl feels her weapon escaping her grasp, hand forcefully returning to her side as if pushed back.

And then...

 ***PSSSSH***

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...

...

...

...

The "clang" of the gunblade hitting the ground far behind the Candidate breaks the silence.

"K-Kuh...?"

"...?!"

A weird sensation, something the girl never felt, goes through her whole body. It feels... hot, but not overly so... warm, and not uncomfortable.

Something liquid is... in her mouth? Why? How?

Her eyes are staring straight into amber, her enemy's stare wide and... shocked?

Slowly, sapphire eyes point downwards.

And then she sees it.

There, on—no, _in_ her torso is Magic's beam scythe, completely embedded in the girl's body. All her defenses and nerves alike were utterly destroyed, a testament to the woman's power. She also notices the red liquid dripping from her mouth; it would be impossible not to.

Even so, there is no pain.

And that only makes the sight even more haunting.

"W-What..."

The word comes weak, and that's when she realizes her body is growing colder.

 _'No...'_

"You...Why..."

It takes a moment for the girl to realize those weak, hesitant words were _not_ hers.

Once more she raises her head to stare into her enemy's—her _killer's_ eye, azure filled with fear and disbelief gazing into yellow as the girl's vision slowly darkens.

And, mere seconds before darkness claims her, a small tinge of confusion manages to sneak into her dying mind.

The murderer's eye... That horrible amber orb...

Why...

...

...

...

 _Why is it as scared as hers?_

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 _Nepgear opens her eyes._

 _Only she doesn't, because they were always open._

 _Confusion overtakes her mind as she observes her surroundings._

 _Darkness. Nothing but pure, empty darkness surrounds the girl._

 _Suddenly, memories come at once, each one of them attacking her as if happening in the present._

 _The first time she stepped on this world through the Sharicite, and met her sister..._

 _Her first days in existence, equipped with nothing but basic knowledge received from the Shares..._

 _Her first birthday, when her sister gave her a simple yet precious robot kit..._

 _Recollection by recollection, her whole life is flashes in front of her eyes, slowly and yet too fast to accompany._

 _When she met Noire, and thought the ravenette was the coolest person in the world, much to Neptune's dismay..._

 _When she met Blanc, and learned to love books, also to Neptune's dismay..._

 _When she met Vert, and was presented to the world of Visual Novels, still to Neptune's dismay..._

 _They weren't close, but they talked sometimes. They competed, but they didn't hate each other._

 _And then... And then..._

 ** _A scream exits her lips._**

 _Only it doesn't, because she has no mouth._

 _She died._

 ** _She was killed._**

 _The girl's nonexistent screams don't stop. Her unseen hands attempt to grip her head, only to not touch anything, going through unimpeded._

 _There's nowhere to step, nowhere to stand, she's just floating in darkness, legs kicking nothing amidst her panic._

 _She's dead. Gone._

 _That's the end of her tale._

 _Suddenly, a single image, large as the girl herself, appears before her, freezing the once Candidate_ _on the spot._

 _It's Magic, staring straight at her with an amusement which feels nothing short of agonizing._

 _Although she wants to, although she begs her eyes to obey, Nepgear can't tear her eyes away from the normal and yet terrifying picture of the woman._

 _Of her **murderer**._

 _Her body starts shivering. Only it doesn't, because she has none._ _It doesn't take long for terror to once more overtake her mind, stronger than anything she's_ _ever felt before._

 _The silent screams begin once again._

 _A fist which doesn't exist sails towards the dark CPU._

 _And so, the darkness cracks._

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The world flickers. Light returns at once.

A loud gasp escapes the Candidate's lips as all her senses are thrown in disarray. Thankfully, everything slowly becomes clearer.

Something is in her hand. A handle. Her weapon.

A glance to the right. A glance to the left. Piles of trash everywhere, and a dark dirt beneath her knees. This is the Graveyard, the same place she was before... before...

 _... before she died._

Instantly, an agonizing cold overtakes her body. Her free hand flies to her stomach right over the fatal wound.

Or at least where the fatal wound _should be_.

A gasp escapes her lips as her eyes descend to her stomach.

 _Nothing._ There's absolutely no trace that she was hurt.

 _'I'm... But... What... What's going on!?'_

It makes no sense. It's almost as if—

"Has fear driven you insane, I wonder?"

Another gasp. Her hand lets go of the gunblade in shock, its metallic body clattering to a few small pebbles beneath. The loudest of screams tears through Nepgear's mind, an instant reaction to the voice.

 _The horrifyingly familiar voice_.

Her head snaps towards its source, widened eyes filled with all kinds of unspeakable horrors.

Before the girl is her enemy, her _murderer_.

Her breathing quickens. Cold sweat trails down her body. Not a single thought remains amidst the terror overtaking her whole mind.

"You... No... Don't..."

The words escape Nepgear's lips without consent, and to her terrible dismay the _monster's_ smirk only widens at her fear.

 _'No... Don't kill me... I don't want to die... I don't... Please... Not again...'_

Without another word, Magic's grip on her scythe tightens. And then—

 ***thud***

The world turns black.

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 _ **First time's always the scariest, innit?**_

 _ **Well, to begin with I have to point out that this won't be a full-blown drama, thus its absence from the tags. It's just that it's impossible for the very beginning of the story to have any other kind of mood, both because it's mk2 and because of the premise itself.**_

 _ **Now, onwards to the AN!**_

 _ **Alright, I know this isn't an "all-new, original idea," lots of fics do it. All I can say is...**_

 _ **Does that even matter?**_

 _ **Besides, I think the only Death Time Loop stories I saw around here had Self Insert MCs time travelling, so there's that. Now it's Nepgear!**_

 _ **... Feel the novelty.**_

 _ **That said, there's not much else for me to talk about.**_

 _ **Basically, this is now a thing.**_

 _ **So, until next time, you guys! And remember to review!**_

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 ***thud***

"..."

The lilac-haired girl suddenly faints, her body falling on the ground as if a lifeless doll.

"... Huh?"

Much to the scythe-wielding woman's confusion, of course.

Magic can't help but raise a quizzical eyebrow at the unconscious girl. She _knew_ the Candidate was scared, but... was it _that_ much? Mere seconds ago, it looked like she was about to scream, _not_ faint on the spot, and that's quite the difference.

To see her fall this easily honestly feels rather sad, like Magic just kicked an innocent puppy, or a dogoo, or... Well, anything remotely pitiable, really.

The woman scrunches her eyebrows as she attempts to rationalize what just happened. Was it something she did? A subtle gesture of sorts? A new awakened power over fear?

Now, wouldn't that be handy? If only it wasn't wishful thinking.

But, back to reality, Magic is honestly not sure what to make of this situation.

Maybe... nothing? ... Yes, nothing is good. Turns out the Candidate faints easily, simple as that. No need to overthink it.

"How... interesting...?"

 _'The correct term is_ _"underwhelming,"'_ her mind instantly adds.

Still, that's quite fortunate. It saves her the work of dragging a terrified, screaming girl around.

And so Magic simply shrugs before reaching for the fallen girl and lifting her unconscious form over a shoulder, abandoning her gunblade on the ground. She's still in HDD even after falling unconscious, just like the others, which means the cursed wards around the Graveyard did work. Now, for the next part of the plan...

A minuscule smirk crosses the woman's features as she turns towards the remaining four fallen bodies.

With the CPUs defeated, it's only a matter of time now...!

And _nothing_ can stop ASIC now...!


	2. Prelude to the Beginning

_**Well, it sure took me a long while to get around to doing this.**_

 _ **Honestly, aside from dealing with life in general, I was also planning the story. Not that I didn't have a plan before, mind you, but I decided it was crap and then I just up and redid it from scratch.**_

 _ **Whether the new one is truly good is another matter entirely, but I certainly hope so.**_

 _ **With that out of the way, it's finally time for yet another chapter!**_

 _ **... Please ignore how the title is just a pitiful attempt at doing something clever with the title of mk2's prologue.**_

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 _ **Disclaimer: In chapter 1. Seriously, I don't get why some people place it in every single chapter...**_

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 ***Chapter 1***

 **Prelude to the Beginning**

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"..."

Darkness, soothing and yet _unsettling_.

Silence, calming and yet _wrong_.

Cold, gentle and yet _unnatural_.

This is the girl's world. A dark void, and nothing else.

"..."

In her dormant mind, she wonders just how much time has passed. Perhaps a month, maybe two? Who knows? It might have been a whole year. The girl knows she simply can't trust her sense of time anymore, not when it feels like both a long eternity and short few minutes alike have gone by ever since she last saw the real world.

Every time she seems to have found some sort of inner peace, that one contradiction serves as a helpful reminder that nothing is alright and instantly brings back the worries to her mind, as if returning an item that wasn't meant to be lost.

Has Gamindustri fallen, maybe? Has ASIC conquered it by now? It's not as if there is a CPU around to protect it.

 _'Not anymore...'_

For the useless girl who did nothing as the four Goddesses fell, it hurts just to think about it.

If only Nepgear had been stronger... If only she could try again...

"..."

 _'Just like that, isn't it...?'_

Had she any control over her paralyzed body, a horrible shiver would be descending her spine at the memory resurfacing in her mind. Yes, the girl remembers it clearly. The moment she _died_ , only to come back in front of her murderer.

Was it an illusion? Obviously. Magic simply showed Nepgear what would happen if she were to attack, figuring that would destroy all resistance. It doesn't explain why the fake woman seemed so shocked when all was said and done, however. Unless she doesn't have absolute control over her illusions, and that was simply a possible "scenario" which developed on its own?

That means Magic truly didn't want to kill her, doesn't it? And instead she attempted to break Nepgear's willpower, figuring it would prevent bloodshed.

It was an act of mercy, then.

And yet, it was nothing short of _cruel_.

No other word can describe the feeling of seeing, _living_ , a fake death, only to wish it was true afterwards.

If only the girl actually had the power to retry like that, to return and _fix_ her mistakes, then she wouldn't be so **_useless_** the next time around...

 _'No... That's not the point...!'_

Nepgear shouldn't have been useless _the first time around._ She didn't just hesitate, she _abandoned_ her sister and everybody else to certain death, all because she was _scared_ of the enemy CPU.

Neptune would _never_ abandon her, the girl is sure of it. Her sister wouldn't as much as entertain the idea of doing so, that's what she believes with all her heart.

If Neptune were to turn her back towards Nepgear, she'd _break_.

And yet, that's exactly what the so-called Candidate of Planeptune did back then.

 _'I'm... such an idiot...'_

Such a sin is nothing short of unforgivable, she knows it. To remain imprisoned in this darkness is all her accursed self deserves, after all...

...

...

...

...

...

" _I'll... him... save... CPUs .._ "

 _'...Huh?'_

Wait...

Was that... a voice? It was... familiar. A bit like... _hers_...

Is that her mind finally breaking? To think she'd hear her voice here...

Still, why does it sound... deeper? More mature?

" _Y... cha..._ "

A second one, also familiar, and considerably less different from what her memories dictate.

If Nepgear could move, a small smile would form on her lips. Not one of happiness, but sadness instead. It seems her soul has finally given in.

" _Ple... wa... up_!"

The same voice, this time louder, and the girl can do nothing about her traitorous mind's torment. She left them behind, didn't she? By allowing the CPUs to fall and then being defeated herself, she failed them. They probably miss both Neptune and her, always wondering what became of the CPU sisters...

Just the thought itself feels _horrible_. It doesn't matter how much Nepgear deserves to be here, how much she deserves this punishment. Nothing matters if accepting this pain means making _others_ suffer.

If only she could do it all over again...

 ***VWOOOOOOOSH***

 _'...!'_

Suddenly, a loud sounds reaches her mind, as if a strong gust blowing through the darkness.

The girl can only watch as the world turns white.

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 _'What's... happening...?'_

Sleepy. That's the only way to describe how Nepgear feels. Her mind feels nothing but tiredness, and simply thinking feels like a chore. Her eyes... They're open, aren't they? They certainly feel like it, but... why can't she see anything? Colors are indiscernible, everything is dark and blurry. In a way, it feels worse than blindness.

Suddenly, a distant creaking noise sounds.

 _'... Huh?'_

Then comes a snap, followed by several others as a strange numb feeling washes over the girl. Somehow, it almost feels like... movement? It's like her legs are moving, falling, even as her arms stay in place.

Until a last snap sounds, that is.

 _'W-What the...?!'_

The sensation attacks her whole body at once. Then, just as it stops, a sound akin to a light thud reaches her ears, as if something soft hitting the ground.

"Ah... Urrgh..."

Then, a groan sounds, distant and yet strangely familiar.

 _'I... fell? From where...? And... on what?_ '

No matter how hard she tries, the girl simply can't understand her surroundings, her senses in complete disarray. Sounds, scents, images... Everything is unclear, and to top it off her body itself feels numb. It's as if she's still disconnected from the real world, imprisoned in that void, just as she has always been.

"...?!"

And that's why it truly feels unreal when, little by little, everything starts making sense.

As both the gentle whisper of the breeze and the distant noise of running water make themselves known, images begin to form before her eyes, sensations slowly returning as they do so. She's on her knees, on dark dirt, with her azure orbs pointing downwards. No glances are needed to notice the metallic trash all around, emitting a strong and unpleasant smell.

There's no doubts. This is the Graveyard.

And, as impossible as it should be, her HDD is still active.

' _W-What's going on...? I'm... I'm still Purple Sister? No, that's not important, I'm... free?'_

"Ge-Ge! Are you back with us?"

The sudden voice jolts the girl out of her thoughts, prompting her to look up—

Right into the peach-colored orbs of a crouched teenage girl in front of her.

 _'What... Who?'_

Lilac eyes blink rapidly, almost panickedly, as Nepgear attempts to analyze the figure before her. Long hair of the same peach color as the eyes. A similarly colored sweater, coupled with a red, almost unfitting, plaid skirt. A black headband and a belt-pouch on her waist, both adorned by a C—

And that's when Nepgear realizes.

Even though she's older than she should be, even though this is obviously a woman instead of a young girl...

 _This is Compa._

 _'How...?'_

In another world, Nepgear may have been filled with surprise and hope alike at the realization. Here, however, what invades her mind is something entirely different.

Doubt.

 _'Is this... another illusion?'_

That must be it. Somehow, Magic felt the girl's wishful thoughts and decided to crush any resistance left in her soul. And so, the woman is showing her a grown up version of an old friend, a sight which she'll never see with her own eyes.

 _'Of course...'_

This isn't mercy, Nepgear realizes.

It's nothing but torture.

 _'There's really no salvation for me, is there...?'_

Still, she wonders...

Why is there a baseball-sized, rough-looking Sharicite crystal—the very physical amalgamation of the faith which powers the CPUs—held in Compa's raised right hand? Is it part of Magic's imagined 'scenario,' perhaps?

... That woman is strangely fanciful, then. It's amazing how the Candidate can almost sense the Shares, as if the object isn't a mere illusion.

"Ge-Ge? Hey, Ge-Ge!" The fake girl places her free hand on Nepgear's shoulder, lightly shaking her. "T-That blank look is scary... Please, snap out of it!"

 _'Goodness... I can even feel her touch... It's like she's real...'_

To think Magic's illusions have this level of realism... She is truly powerful, after all. Completely unlike Nepgear, now that she thinks about it.

If only she wasn't this weak... If only she had more power, then—

"Ge-Ge!"

 ***SLAP***

Nepgear blinks.

"... Huh?"

Unfocused azure eyes stare at the illusionary Compa, the hand which once was on the Candidate's shoulder now raised near the peach-haired girl's face, palm pointing backwards as if it has just finished a movement across the air.

Because it did. The red mark on the Candidate's face is more than enough proof of that.

Nepgear blinks once again.

Illusions can emulate light contacts. Illusions _can't_ emulate _pain_.

And for a third time, Nepgear blinks.

That can only mean one thing, right...? It means that...

That...

...

...

...

 _ **'This isn't an illusion?!'**_

"COMPA?!"

"WAH!" Unsurprisingly, the girl immediately recoils at the sudden shout, eyes widening instantly. "D-Don't scare me like that! My weak little heart can't take it!" It doesn't take long, however, for surprise to be replaced with relief as she smiles. "Still, thank goodness... I thought Ge-Ge's brain had turned into slimy mush!"

"U-Um..." The Candidate isn't able to think up a proper response. Or at all, really. Her supposedly non-mushy brain is far too busy attempting to process a certain bit of information.

This is real.

 _This is real._

 ** _This is real._**

 _'Then...'_

It's then that her eyes widen as much as possible.

Nepgear is finally free. This is the real world...! She's back in Gamindustri!

 _'That...'_

And before her is an old friend, the one who rescued her from that eternal void!

 _'That...'_

Compa, the sweet little girl who was training hard to become a nurse, is now before her, staring into sapphire eyes with nothing but kindness, her innocent soul clad in the body of a woman!

 _'That...!'_

...

...

...

 _'That only makes everything even more jarring!_ '

Just like that, Nepgear's mind finds itself on the brink of a shutdown.

 _'Compa was only 13, I'm sure of it! Now she's... an adult?! A teenager?!'_

Alright, so _maybe_ the Candidate spent a bit more than a while bound in that dark space. Well, not that such a thing is particularly surprising. It was a very likely possibility which went through her mind several times.

That doesn't make the actual experience any easier, though.

From what she gathered, this Compa acts just like the one Nepgear always knew, but even so the contrast is far too much! The more she stares at her grown friend, the more her mind draws the image of a little girl over her!

 _It! Hurts!_

 _'I... I need to take a deep breath! This is far too much to take—'_

"Gaaaaah!"

 ***Thud***

Candidate and nurse alike freeze in shock at the _body_ now lying facedown not even a meter besides them.

"Weak! So pathetically weak!" a loud, deep and undoubtedly male voice suddenly bellows. "C'mon, make the fight more interesting for me! C'mon!"

The lilac-haired girl pays those words no mind, however. And the reason is simple, really.

 _A freaking body just fell near her, for goodness' sake._

 _'That... Why... What...?!'_

Even worse, it's not just any random body.

A blue jacket, even though it's mostly unfamiliar and undoubtedly custom model. A long descending brown hair, with a sidetail tied by a familiar leafy green bow.

That's all the incentive Nepgear needs to shout out the first name that comes to mind.

"I-IF?!"

"Ah!" Right on cue, Compa snaps out of her own shock and rushes to the fallen girl, crouching down next to her and carefully placing a hand on her back. The paralyzed Candidate can only watch as a dim green glow overtakes IF's body.

The brunette stirs, head slowly twisting as she attempts to glance at her side.

 _'...?!'_

And weak green meets frozen azure.

"... Gear...?"

"..."

It's then that emerald eyes, filled with happiness and tiredness alike, focus completely on the Candidate. Despite the situation, an easy smile still manages to find its way to IF's lips. "Heh... Well, now I feel stupid that you get to see me in such a sorry state..."

"..."

Nepgear attempts to respond, she truly does. Several words of worry do attempt to come at once, that much is without a doubt. And yet, none manage to go through her stunned mind and frozen lips.

As such, she can only watch as IF slowly raises from the ground, the young nurse beside her lending a shoulder for support. Then, just as both her feet find their place on the ground, the brunette's green orbs point forward, a determined gaze clear on her features. "Be careful. This creep is freakishly strong."

 _'Creep...? Strong? W-What's happening?!'_

At this point, everything feels so _mind-numbingly jarring_ Nepgear can't wrap her head around it. And so, amidst her confusion, she simply follows IF's line of sight—

 _'Wha... Wha... Wha... Whaaaaaaa?!'_

—only to suffer a mini heart attack

Not even ten meters away, glaring at them with all the hate in the world through glowing green eyes, is a giant, stupidly bulky, floating dark robot with massive metallic bladed wings, an apparent skull motif and a gigantic black halberd with laser blades colored a blueish green-aquamarine, her shocked mind quietly corrects.

It's almost too much for the girl to take at once.

 _'What... I... That... Why...'_

On one hand, Nepgear almost drools in excitement at the complex construct in front of her.

On the other hand, Nepgear almost _faints in fear_ at the messenger of death before her.

 _'G-Goodness, what's going on here?!'_

Seriously, she's glad to be free, _but what's with this situation?!_ Everything is so _frustratingly confusing_ Nepgear is just moments away from having a mental breakdown!

Her mind doesn't even register the moment the green glow around her brunette friend disappears, neither does she notice the relieved smile which crosses Compa's face as IF disengages herself from the nurse and easily stands on her own. And it's because of that distractedness that the next words the Candidate hears hit her much harder than they should.

"Let me help out too!"

Sapphire eyes full of disbelief snap towards the young nurse who just shouted those words. Not a trace of hesitation is present on Compa's face as she places the Sharicite crystal on the ground and materializes a strange toy-like giant syringe in her hands. "We have to buy some time so everyone can wake up and regain their strength!"

"W-Wha...?!"

Nepgear can do nothing but gape in shock at the suicidal girl next to her.

 _'They want to fight that thing?! That's just... Wait, 'everyone'?! What are they...'_

"Nep... ge... ar...?"

 **"... ?!"**

 _The world freezes._

 _'T-That was...'_

Slowly, the Candidate turns around towards the glaringly familiar voice, and then...

"W... What...?!"

Never before have her eyes widened as much as now.

All the fear, horror and dread she felt inside the void she lived in for years almost feel like nothing when compared to what is assaulting her mind right now. Behind her, bound by innumerable cables in almost torturous positions are the ones she failed, the four CPUs in their HDD forms, each one in the very same ragged state. However, it's simply natural that the Candidate's eyes can only focus on one of them.

 _'Neptune...!'_

Her very own sister is right there, bodysuit-like armor cracked and broken everywhere as the bindings force her body to remain in place.

Although it miraculously remained tied in two long braids, her violet hair is completely messy, with innumerable wild strands pointing outwards. Just like the rest of them, her light blue eyes are open, blinking, and yet completely unfocused, staring into absolute nothingness as senseless murmurs escape their lips without resistance.

It's obvious she, alongside the other three CPUs, is unconscious, her body ruled over by nothing but remaining instincts, as if forever stuck between being asleep and awake.

That only makes the sight all the more horrible.

 _'Wait... That's why...'_

It's then that Nepgear understands.

Sapphire orbs turn towards the small Sharicite crystal on the ground, and the girl realizes its purpose. It's supposed to free them from their prison, just as it did to her.

There is one problem, however.

 _'If they already freed me... does it still have enough Shares to save them?'_

She's the weakest of them all, so it wouldn't be far-fetched for her rescue to cost the least; but even so, without knowing how much the crystal held initially, there is absolutely no way to reach a conclusion short of taking a guess.

Nepgear simply doesn't know if the remaining amount of Shares can save the Goddesses.

And, as wide eyes focus on the two girls valiantly standing before the mechanic monster, she realizes they don't either; all that gives them the will to fight is the hope that, somehow, there is enough in that crystal is enough to save the CPUs.

They're putting their lives on the line for an _uncertainty_.

 _'But... why?'_

That's not just careless, it's suicidal! Chances are the Sharicite crystal will fail, and then they'll all die! They "hope" the CPUs will be saved?! That's just a mindless gamble, and the cards are obviously stacked against them! Certainty is much more useful than hope, and Nepgear only sees "maybe, maybe, maybe" here!

They'll end up dying, the Candidate realizes.

This imposing mecha before them, holding a massive weapon which could certainly cleave through the three girls in a single attack...

It's going to kill them. It's going to _murder_ each one of them.

The girl grits her teeth, eyes wide as she attempts to stop the shiver threatening to attack her body. Vague memories resurface, the last thoughts of a dying mind, and with them comes pure _terror_. Nepgear has to do something. Doing nothing leads to dying, right? Just like that time, isn't it? The vacant feeling of falling asleep peacefully, as her body shuts down and consciousness fades forever...

She doesn't want her friends to feel that. _She doesn't want to feel that!_ She doesn't want her them to die. _She doesn't want to die!_

 _Not again, not ever_!

But, then... What **_can_** she do?!

Nepgear could simply stand up and say something along the lines of 'I'll fight too!,' couldn't she? Waiting means death, so her only choice is to distract him for a bit and either come up with an escape plan or wait for an opportunity to flee. And that's exactly what she would have done...

 _ **There, on—no, in her torso is Magic's laser scythe, completely embedded in the girl's body.**_

"G-Guh..."

Had her whole being not frozen at a particularly livid memory.

 ** _Even so, there is no pain._**

 ** _And t_** ** _hat only makes the sight even more haunting._**

What if this goes wrong? What if she ends up killing herself like that, only _for real_ this time?!

 _'No, no, no, no... I c_ _an't think of that, I can't falter now...! Not again!'_

But, as much as she attempts to erase these thoughts, her uncertainty refuses to fade away. And so, after that long moment which was just a single instant, the paralyzed girl can only watch as the robot finally raises the halberd above his head, preparing his final strike...

"I have had enough of this! I stand here waiting for an attack and none of you move?! What sort of mockery is this?!" the mechanical monster asks in his loud voice, weapon trembling as his hold tightens in anger. "In that case, I'll attack first! And this time, I will _not_ be as merciful as to hold back, you hear?!"

This is it, the girl realizes. At this moment, it's do or die time.

And yet...

 _'My body... why can't I move it...?!'_

This robot is strong, monstrously so. Nepgear can _feel_ his powerful aura from where she is, even IF and Compa take steps back as the giant's furious words. But even so, although her life quite literally depends on it, the Candidate's body still refuses to budge.

Now, of all times, her so-called survival instincts are actively working to _get her killed._

 _'Why... Why am I so useless?!'_

"Gear..." the brunette begins, not even glancing at the kneeling girl. "Is your body alright? Because we're going to move a lot."

The nurse besides her nods, eyes never leaving the mechanical monster. "Yup, we'll have to dodge lots! If you feel anything wrong, better say it now, Ge-Ge, because I can carry bodies just fine!"

"H-Huh...?!"

Nepgear isn't able to respond immediately, and not because of fear. Instead, the girl finds herself utterly baffled by her friends' words. They're not just putting on a brave aface, are they...? The way they're talking, the way they're acting... it's like they're not afraid of death!

No, it's even worse...

They truly believe victory is within their reach.

Even though IF was effortlessly thrown away like a ragdoll, even though this robot has just admitted he was actively _holding back_ , even though a single attack can mean instant death... these two still think they can make a difference. They still think they can save the CPUs!

Their determination makes _no sense_!

They can't just dodge his blows indefinitely, that much is obvious to the Candidate. At some point, a mistake will happen, an attack will connect...

And they'll die. If that robot hits them with all his strength, they'll die.

Nepgear can't just follow their lead towards their demise, she has to do something else! There has to be a way to survive this encounter!

Simply running wouldn't be a smart choice at all, it would just be a gamble on whether this monster can catch up to them. In that case, the most obvious choice is for Nepgear to do something to distract him, and then grab IF and Compa to flee when the possibility presents itself.

And therein lies the problem.

Her muscles are still frozen, the chill of those horrible memories encroaching her. Even though she _knows_ it'll be her end if she simply stays still on the ground, her useless body doesn't want to cooperate.

 _'No... I have to do something, I have to do something, I have to do anything!_ '

If nothing changes, Nepgear can almost _see_ what will happen.

At this rate, all which awaits them is **_death_**.

"Gah! Even though I still waited a little more!" her enemy's loud voice reverberates through the Graveyard, annoyance clear in his words. "Then crack, bleed, break! If you'll be like this, at least make your deaths entertaining to me!"

 _'No, no, no, no, no, no...! This can't end here!'_

Nepgear closes her eyes shut, a few stray tears still in formation descending her cheeks. Inside her mind, many thoughts and realizations make themselves known at once.

She'll die. After finally being freed, she'll die uselessly. IF and Compa will follow her, of course. They, Nepgear's precious friends who risked their lives to save her, will also die because of her impotence. Neptune and the other CPUs will remain as they are, trapped in this cursed Graveyard, just waiting for their ends.

And it's all because of Nepgear. Because she wasn't— **isn't** strong enough to stop this.

Because she's _useless_.

 _ **Nothing but useless.**_

That's why the so-called Candidate will fall, and bring Gamindustri down with her. That's why she'll just die here and allow her enemies to stand proud at their victory.

That's why she'll just leave everyone to their fates.

Just like she did before.

 _'No... I can't let that happen...'_

Desperation fills the girl's frantic mind, thoughts raging inside her head nonstop in an attempt to find a way out of this dead end, as laughably unlikely as the notion sounds.

An instant later, she takes a deep breath, and then...

 _'I... I can't... I won't...!'_

In a miraculous moment of control, she pounds her own chest as hard as possible, prompting a pair of startled and yet quizzical eyes to turn towards her.

Right then, the Candidate foregoes all hesitation and fears. For just a moment, she forgets all about consequences, banishing every single one of her thoughts and worries from her mind as she attempts to kick-start her systems.

All for a simple, reckless action.

 _'I **won't** abandon them anymore!_ ** _'_**

"Gear?!" "Ge-Ge?!"

A pair of startled shouts sound as the girl suddenly shots forward, towards the mechanical monstrosity about to annihilate them.

It's crazy. It's idiotic. It's suicidal.

And it's also the only thing which crossed her mind.

"Die, die, DIE!"

With that maddened bellow, the robot's gigantic laser halberd descends towards the girl, bringing with it certain death.

 _'No, no, NO!'_

Instantly, Purple Sister invokes the same powerful gunblade she had in hands before Magic captured her. She'll absorb the attack with her Mana, no matter how much effort it takes. It'll undoubtedly wear down her stamina, and she has to position herself to avoid dying if she can't block, but when she gets close enough to the robot, then—

A mere second before the impact, Nepgear hesitates. Just as the halberd's metallic handle is about to touch her forehead, her blood runs cold at a sudden realization.

That weapon isn't there.

 ***CRACK***

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 _ **I wonder how many people would believe that I had this idea before knowing about Re:Zero.**_

 _ **Anyway, there we have it, there we go! Way later than I wanted, but it's here.**_

 _ **Sadly, this scene was almost exactly the same as the game's, save for me taking some liberties with the time flow, since I'm pretty sure the VN cutscenes skip short pauses and the like and thus don't happen in real time.**_

 _ **There was no way to get around the almost identical conversations, unfortunately, so I attempted to make up for it by focusing completely on Nepgear's confusing, unstable and somewhat cyclical thoughts! Which probably inflated the chapter far too much... Ha ha...**_

 _ ***Sigh***_

 _ **Point is, this chapter ended up being two times larger than a normal chapter of Hyperdemise is supposed to be. I feel as if I took too long to start writing this one, so I tried making it a double chapter!**_

 _ **Even though the start and end of this chapter would be the same in a shortened version, of course.**_

 _ **That said, this was a thingy thing. Nepgear's psyche isn't looking particularly great, there's yet another death to the list and that girl seriously needs to chill out a bit for this story to get a calmer pace.**_

 _ **I wonder if I managed to expose Nepgear's mental state well enough...**_

 _ **Anyway, I guess you could kind of call this the True Prologue while the actual Prologue was a trailer of sorts, if that makes sense. Point is, from now on it's the real deal!**_

 _ **Of course, I repeat, this is not a drama. I think. Maybe... Or perhaps I'm actually turning it into one, huh. I still feel like it doesn't exactly fit in the Drama genre, not when only two tags can be chosen; putting "Drama" up there without all the other tags I believe to fit would essentially make it overshadow everything else in a new reader's expectations.**_

 _ **And that's terrible.**_

 _ **Well, that's about all I wanted to say for now; it's not like this is a talk show, after all! Whoever feels interested and hooked already, please favorite and follow! The Favs/Follows counters up there are like exposed trophies, attracting anyone who glances at the golden plating!**_

 _ **That's great for a writer, by the by.**_

 _ **Oh, and remember to review! I gotta know where I screwed up, even if it sounds like nitpicking.**_

 _ **Especially if it sounds like nitpicking.**_

 _ **And that's it, folks!**_

 _ **Zetta, flowing away with the wind~**_

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 _Nepgear **screams**._

 _Amidst the void, she attempts to let out the loudest blood-curling of her whole existence. And_ _yet, not a single sound exits her lips._

 _Still, that doesn't stop the girl. She screams, and screams, and screams, not registering anything besides fear and pain; horrible, **unbearable** pain carved forever in her memories._ _Several minutes pass before any semblance of a thought crosses her mind, and when it does, she freezes._

 _There's no pain anymore, her senses realize. No... There are **no** **senses** to register it anymore. __Not a single feeling goes through her body, the unsettling absence disorienting her far more than the previous cold emptiness._

 _Still, it's a familiar feeling. Too familiar, even._

 _And so, Nepgear opens her eyes—_

 _'What...?'_

 _Only to discover they were always open._

 _'This is...!'_

 _Her sight wanders around the dark space around her, frantically searching for something, **anything**. Even without footing, her nonexistent body moves around unexplainably, as if propelled by her very thoughts._

 _That's not important, however._

 _Right now, the emptiness both around and inside her is all that matters._

 _'So... was all that actually an illusion? But still...'_

 _This is not like her previous prison, Nepgear can feel that much. Or rather, she knows that precisely because she **can't** actually feel anything. Instead of captured, it's as if the Candidate is free instead, completely cut off from all mortal bounds. In a way, it's like..._

 _It's like she's **dead**._

 ** _Just like back then._**

 _Had she a throat, her breath would be caught in it at the mere idea._

 _'But... why?'_

 _This development simply doesn't make sense. If she was witnessing Magic's scenario, then there's no reason for her to have been brought here after "dying". Instead, she should be in her usual cold void instead._ _And that brings to mind a certain possibility, as bizarre as it sounds._

 _'Is this... real, then? Not an illusion?'_

 _It can't be. It's just... illogical, unlikely, **impossible**. This **has** to be a continuation of some sort to that illusion, with the darkness simply hiding unspeakable horrors about to be unleashed on her._

 _'But, even so...'_

 _Now that she thinks about it, what would that even accomplish?_ _If she's still completely disconnected from the real world, why would Magic waste time and effort breaking her mind even further?_ _Nepgear won't write it off as impossible, but... it truly sounds a bit far-fetched, at least. Even amidst surprise and terror alike, the girl is not blinded enough for that to go unnoticed._

 _'Wait, that means...'_

 _Lilac eyes widen even more—or they would had they existed—just as the thought crosses her mind._

 _'Is this... truly happening?'_

 _Can that mad, wishful possibility be true, after all?_

 ** _*PZZZ* *PZZZ*_**

 _As if to answer her questions, as a noise not unlike electricity sounds, two images as big as the Candidate herself appear before her._

 _On_ _the left is the familiar picture of Magic, the same one she touched before. On the right, however, connected to the first image by an opaque white line, is the giant robot who annihilated her body with a single attack, its whole form and dark surroundings captured perfectly in the frame as it stares right at her._

 _'This... How...?'_

 _Just like that, the girl finds herself stunned, her mind attempting to process the unbelievable situation. The images, with the way they're placed and connected, almost look like..._

 _'A timeline...'_

 _Yes, that's what it is. First was Magic, and then was the robot. It's quite simple, actually._

 _And yet, to say Nepgear is struggling to wrap her mind around this would be a massive understatement._

 _Her sight washes over the pictures for the longest time, as if carefully examining them. In truth, right now million thoughts, innumerable ideas, are raging through her mind, all battling, destroying each other, as they fight for supremacy._

 _A second passes, as fast as it always does._

 _Ten seconds go by, the Candidate remaining frozen amidst the darkness._

 _A minute goes by..._

 _And if she had eyelids, the girl would blink._

 _'I can retry.'_

 _It's a simple musing of her mind, and yet its weight is unbelievable._

 _'I can retry, I can go back, I can start from the beginning.'_

 _Little by little, the lips she doesn't have tug upwards just as her thoughts soar, the obvious conclusions presenting themselves to the fallen Candidate._

 _'I can return, I can fight, I can change the past!'_

 _A full-blown smile crosses her nonexistent features. Lost amidst her own hope, she slowly edges closer and closer to the impossible pictures before her._

 _'I can make it right, I can save them, **I can fix everything**!'_

 _The girl raises an arm she can neither see nor feel, and points it towards the one salvation before her._

 _' **I can do this**!'_

 _Without hesitation, Nepgear reaches out towards the dark CPU._

 _And so, the darkness cracks._


	3. The Meaning of Survival

Unable to escape due to the proximity, the girl advances with her gunblade raised, lilac hair flowing behind her as she suddenly shoots towards her supposedly unsuspecting enemy.

The unsuspecting one was her, however, for she never saw the scythe moving—

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 _'I... I have to try again!'_

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—the weapon comes far too soon, and she brings up her blade to defend herself, miraculously in time for the scythe to hit it.

And to bat it away, along with her own—

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 _'If I can just hit her before she reacts, then...!'_

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—the girl steels herself and, just as her senses return, slashes at the air, towards whoever is in front of her.

The attack never hits its mark, of course. She would need an arm for that—

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 _'Then, I'll be able to defeat her! I'll be able to save them!'_

* * *

—she throws a stab, ferocious and sudden alike, at the woman before her in an attempt to defeat, or at least damage, the dark CPU.

Even more sudden is the blade now plunged—

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 _'But... it's not working! No matter what I do, nothing changes!'_

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—a slash aimed at her enemy's arm in an attempt to disable it and hinder the woman.

Still, the girl couldn't as much as react as the blade touched her—

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 _'I attack faster each time... but that's not enough...!_ '

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—the handle flies from her grip at the impact, the gunblade's pieces scattering around the Graveyard as they rain down.

Wide azure eyes can do nothing but watch as the scythe comes back around—

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 _'Even though I do my best... Even though I try my hardest... Why?'_

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—rid of her weapon, the girl surprises herself as her own fist sails forward, towards the dark CPU.

It was for naught, however, as her hand was the first to go—

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 _'Why can't I even scratch her...? Why do I keep dying over and over?!'_

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—before she can catch herself, her blade sails forward, towards the woman's neck in an obvious attempt to **kill**.

It might have touched this time, were it not for the scythe now deep into—

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 _'Why...?'_

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—the weapon comes fast, much faster than the girl's movements. The attack is obviously strong, much stronger than what she can possibly defend.

The woman is far too powerful.

No... The girl is simply far too beneath her—

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 ** _'Why am I so weak?!'_**

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—in her last moments, she sees the laser blade approach at unbelievable speeds.

And then—

 ***PSSSSHHHH***

—she sees nothing more.

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 ***Chapter 2***

 **The Meaning of Survival**

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 _A void, empty as it should be._

 _Darkness, engulfing all within itself._

 _In this impossible world, nothing but black paints the infinite space, its length unlimited and yet almost lifeless._

 _Almost._

 _"..."_

 _Amidst the void, a lone soul floats on its own, incorporeal movements nothing more than haphazard. It is alone in this desolate realm, but that is of no concern to it. Not when its mind is as clouded as it is._

 _"..."_

 _On a mere whim, it slowly raises its unfeeling hand, only to dismay as its unexplainable sight sees nothing but the darkness of this realm._

 _That is simply natural, however. One cannot see that which doesn't exist._

 _"..."_

 _A lost soul like itself has no form, that's just how it is. And yet, it still finds itself desiring one, to feel_ _the cold of this void on its own skin and to watch it with its own eyes_

 _Being a soul makes it more difficult to suffer, that much is true._

 _Being a soul also makes it much more difficult to feel alive._

 _"..."_

 _And so, it wishes, even if whimsically. In that fleeting instant, it wishes for a body to live within, just as it has grown accustomed to. It wishes for a body much like the one it once inhabited, just so this unsettling emptiness becomes no more, even if only for the time being._

 _"...?"_

 _The soul, however, didn't expect its wish to be granted._

 _Slowly, the hand forms itself from the tips of its fingers to the beginning of the wrist, and the soul can only watch in mild amazement as the rest of its arm materializes, the creamy white skin unmistakably familiar._

 _Suddenly, pink strands make themselves known on the edges of the soul's vision, and it doesn't need another cue to realize its purple eyes are now real. A glance downwards and the soul watches its own body in formation, starting with the unmistakably female upper torso and the other arm before descending to the waist and down until the tips of the feet._

 _The body is featureless like a doll's, and yet, as a hand rests over the place a heart would be, it feels soft, warm and alive. It's then that the sensations come, a soothing coolness coming from all sides and directions._

 _Still, the soul—no, the girl doesn't seem anything more than pleasantly surprised by the event. As incredible as it was, in the end it served as nothing more than a diversion, a short distraction from the thoughts which plague her mind._

 _Thoughts about her utter failure, that is._

 _"I couldn't do it, after all."_

 _Her young, feminine voice comes calm, emotionless, as if acknowledging a conclusion which was simply foregone. And, in the end, that's exactly what it is._

 _Nepgear died again, cut down by the very same scythe as before._

 _A sigh echoes at the thought._ _Sometimes_ _Magic was careless and reacted slightly slower, other times she was already prepared for an attack; there were always slight changes, perhaps the woman's thoughts taking different paths each retry, but none of them changed the outcome._

 _Nepgear always met her demise the moment she fought back._

 _Her_ _deaths weren't simply fast, they were almost instantaneous. Every single time, she lasted approximately a full second before receiving yet another finishing blow from the woman's scythe._

 _At the very least, she should have been able to take solace in how her demises were all painless and sudden, as is expected of a laser weapon. She would occasionally catch sight of her wounds before the world turned black, just like the first time she died, but that wasn't particularly horrible._

 _These haunting memories will cause her nightmares for a long time, yes, but she'd take being sliced to bits, preferably with a beam edge, any day over being crushed to death by a giant robot's halberd._

 _"..."_

 _Nepgear blinks._

 _"Goodness... W_ _hat kind of thought was that?"_

 _Perhaps her mind is a tad more scarred than she thought._

 _Point is, she **should** have been able to take solace in how she died painlessly. She **should** have been_ _relieved at how her mind was mostly spared during her last many deaths._

 _And yet, the girl can only feel disheartened at her amount of losses._

 _The gap between her and that woman is far bigger than she ever imagined. Magic always obliterated the Candidate with a single move, and while that doesn't necessarily mean her power is immense, it may as well be infinite against someone as weak as Nepgear._

 _And that brings about something she should have realized since the beginning._

 _"My attacks wouldn't have done anything..."_

 _A warrior can't possibly gain nothing but offensive power, mana doesn't work like that. There's no doubt that the woman's defenses are also insurmountable for the Candidate._

 _Even if she somehow manages to land a hit on the dark CPU, her blade simply won't go through, stopping millimeters short of piercing that violet skin. And if by some miracle Nepgear manages to successfully attack her several times, nothing will ever change._

 _After all, even if multiplied by a million, a zero is still a zero._

 _"... So it's impossible, after all."_

 _In a way, it's exactly like one of Vert's games. The most skillful Level 1 player would never defeat the most useless Level 100 player._

 _The difference being that Nepgear can't even qualify for being Level 1. And neither skillful, for that matter._

 _"Because I'm just that weak..."_

 _Yet another sigh sounds. In_ _the end, it seems her one mistake was hoping that, somehow, she would be able to defeat Magic. She acted exactly like her friends, fighting for something so blatantly out of her reach._

 _And to think the Candidate herself had labeled them as suicidal..._

 _A third sigh comes. It seems she's the textbook definition of a hypocrite._

 _Whenever Nepgear feels baseless hope growing inside her soul, she'll always try to remember this moment and swiftly crush it. If anything, that'll surely incite her to actually plan out things instead of just blindly hoping for the best._

 _After all, even though the girl is technically a CPU, no amount of hope can make her defeat Magic. Not from her, at the very least._

 _As such, that woman is simply unbeatable to the Candidate. As much as it pains Nepgear to admit, as much as it reminds the girl of her utter uselessness, it's completely impossible for her to prevent the CPUs' capture by ASIC._

 _Thus, the conclusion is simple._

 ** _There is no easy path for her._**

 _Nepgear has to keep moving forward. Unflinching, unhesitatingly, the Candidate has no choice but to walk down this suicidal road and carve an ending with her own hands. She has to be strong, stronger than even her own sister, in order to see this tale to the end._

 _Still, the shiver which descends her spine doesn't make her feel strong at all._

 _"I'm not ready for this..." she murmurs to herself, voice as shaky as her confidence itself._

 _Nepgear is only a Candidate, after all. She's no Neptune, just an impotent little girl._

 _"But... Even so..."_

 _She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, doing her best to dispel these distracting worries._

 _It's not about being strong or useful, she simply **has** to do it. The future is laid out before her._

 _Nepgear will fight for her friends. Nepgear will fight for Gamindustri._

 _Nepgear will also fight because she's literally forced to do so._

 _Refusing to fight means a certain death, fighting means a possible death and, if that wasn't enough, death means yet another attempt at fighting._ _There's no decision to be made, only a realization._

 _Well, at the very least there's no doubt to be had either._

 _"So...!"_

 _The girl slowly opens her eyes, forcing upon them a look of fake confidence. Right on cue, as a pair of electrical sounds come, the timeline appears before her, its two images standing as tall as her own height._

 _On the left is the dark CPU, the powerful reaper blocking the short road._

 _On the right is the giant robot, the massive rock placed on the long road._

 _The reaper is impossible to overcome, simply there to prevent foul play in this twisted game of death. The rock is her first challenge, just waiting to be beaten by an ingenious plan._

 _In a way, it's almost funny. Ignoring the surreal difficulty level which would give Neptune herself a run for her money, this is just like the first stage of one of Lastation's action games, where the player is still learning how to play._

 _In Nepgear's case, she can only hope— **expect** that she has learned enough._

 _The Candidate takes yet another deep breath, fighting off the doubts in her mind. A_ _hand hovers over the picture of the robotic monster, but the girl doesn't touch it immediately, and not because of fear._

 _That's not to say Nepgear is not afraid. **Of course** she is. Goodness, it's almost like there's a voice_ _in the back of her mind screaming at her to **stay away** from that terrifying yet strangely attractive mechanical construct!_

 _But this is not about how the mere picture of that burly, tall and scary robot is almost enough to trigger chillingly traumatic memories, no._ _This is about how Nepgear lacks any sort of credible plan on how to deal with him._

 _She has to escape alongside IF and Compa, that much is obvious. The question is **how**._

 _Simply grabbing her friends and flying away is certainly a possibility, but it's far too risky._ _Nepgear would rather keep it safe, lest she brings upon herself a repeat of that brief yet horrifyingly **terrible pain in her head oh God it hurts so muchwhypleasemakeitstopNeptunehelpplease—**_

* * *

 _Nepgear gasps, senses suddenly returning to her._

 _What just happened?_

 _Her heart is beating far too fast, her breathing is desperate and ragged, and her hands... Why are they gripping her head so hard?_

 _"..."_

 _Goodness, p_ _erhaps her mind is a bit worse than she thought..._

 _Even amidst her own franticness, the girl shakes her head, dispelling such thoughts from her mind. Now is not the time for distractions._

 _Lowering her arms, she proceeds to try and calm down her body, taking several slow deep breaths as if to convince it that she's currently not in the process of dying._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _Good enough._

 _Now, where was she? Ah, yes..._

 _Violet eyes fall on the image of the giant robot, and her hand once again reaches for it, stopping centimeters away from making contact._

 _Nepgear can't just take hold of her friends and fly away. That's not just risky, that's outright stupid. It's clear that she has to do something to hinder her enemy before even attempting to escape, or else she may as well be doomed to fail._

 _And therein lies the problem._

 _The Candidate isn't exactly well-equipped, nor particularly versatile. She has a sword, knows how to punch, has HDD and that's about it. Needless to say, that doesn't allow for much freedom in combat, which severely limits her options on how to deal with the giant robot._

 _At that, a frown finds its way to Nepgear's lips. Now that she thinks about it, that's truly a pretty sad amount of skills. Not that she was never bothered by it before, but right now her lack of diversity sounds worse than ever._

 _Maybe it's just perspective. Nepgear wasn't exactly forced to worry about life-or-death situations before._

 _Point is, her options are much more limited than she'd like, and acquiring more abilities is now considerably high up in her list of priorities._

 _In that case, what should she do? Throw a rock at the robot and hope he dies out of pity? She can't think of anything that won't result in a honestly deserving death, and while it would be so simple to just settle for "using the battlefield to her advantage", it's not as if she spent her short lives sightseeing the Graveyard to actually be able to do that._

 _A groan escapes the girl's lips. At this rate, i_ _t's unlikely that she'll come up with a plan before going insane out of boredom—and, believe it or not, Nepgear **can** feel bored. Even_ _so, she can't just ignore all the alarms going off in her head and rush in **blindly**._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 ** _That's it._**

 _The girl's eyes widen, realization clear amidst violet. In fact, she almost whacks herself in the head for not thinking of this sooner._

 _Not a moment later, her hand touches the picture, hesitation completely gone._

 _With that, the darkness collapses._

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White.

Just as she returns, the girl sees nothing but a familiar white, blindingly pure and bright as the stars, signaling her release from ASIC's clutches. Although they should, her eyes feel no pain at the sight, as if the image is but a mere illusion.

An instant later, the world appears.

Blurry lines, muffled sounds, numb touches. Just as before, the unsettling feeling of disconnection relentlessly attacks each one of her senses, only to grow progressively weaker.

Nepgear raises her head, even if only for her unfocused eyes to stare ahead. Dark dirt makes itself known, as does the metallic piles of trash—old, rusted constructs which once held life—alongside the obscured sky, clouds colored an unnatural scarlet while black paints what should be azure.

And, of course, the same is true for the figure standing in front of such a landscape. Sharicite in hand, the crouched peach-haired nurse stares right into her eyes with worry and dread, as if expecting the worst.

"Compa..." The word comes weak, and directed more at herself than towards the girl in question.

Of course, that doesn't stop the nurse's features from being flooded with relief as she raises from the ground, a full-blown smile on her face. "Ge-Ge! I'm so glad you're alive!"

Those are warm words, befitting of a precious friend. And yet, as cruel as it sounds, Nepgear can't waste time listening to them right now.

She has an urgent mission to accomplish, after all.

 _'I can't afford to mess this up! I mean, I can afford that, but—No, this is no time for that!'_

Even though Compa doesn't seem to be quite done yet, dark purple orbs don't waste time in wandering around, searching for a particular sight the girl has never seen but knows to exist.

Nepgear finds it not even a moment later, and her eyes grow wide at what she sees.

Right there, several meters behind the nurse, is the giant robot, waving his halberd around in an almost haphazard manner.

His target? The brunette evading his weapon as if his movements are nothing. But that's not what shakes the Candidate's very core, not exactly.

 _'He's holding back, I know that, but even so...!'_

Instead of smashing as Nepgear expected of him, the mechanical monster is swinging madly at IF, throwing at her a relentless barrage of never-ending attacks, each one as startlingly powerful as the last.

But that is of no concern to the brunette expertly dodging around his every single slash, never wasting a movement in vain amidst her deadly dance.

A horizontal attack comes for her midsection, and so she leaps over it, her twisted back and blue coat alike almost touching the aquamarine beam edge. A diagonal slash follows it, prompting the brunette to roll to the side as soon as she hits the ground. Yet another horizontal cut, but this time she ducks under it.

Many more attacks come, and yet nothing changes. None of them hit their mark, not even leaving a single scratch on her outfit.

For Nepgear, it doesn't matter that the robot isn't fighting at his full strength. Not when IF's movements and reflexes are already far superior to hers.

She, a CPU, is far weaker than one of the humans she was supposed to protect.

It's like a sick joke, and her very existence is the punchline.

"..."

Nepgear shakes her head, forcefully erasing these useless musings of hers.

She shouldn't be distracting herself like that—

"Don't worry."

 _'... Huh?'_

Broken out of her thoughts, Nepgear glances at Compa, only to see the nurse staring straight towards the battle, the Sharicite now planted on the ground next to her. "Mr. Mad Robot is strong, but so is Iffy!" The girl shoots the Candidate a confident smile. "She just needs to buy time for everyone to wake up too. I know she can do it!"

"..."

As much as Nepgear tries, she can't bring herself to return that smile.

 _'If only you were right...'_

IF never stood a chance, after all. The robot is simply far too unnaturally strong, just like Magic.

With that in mind, the Candidate turns her eyes towards the battle with dread, waiting for all to go horribly wrong any second now.

 _'When it happens, I'll have to act. I don't want to waste it, but I don't have a choice... Wait, maybe...'_

"Compa!" The nurse immediately glances at her. "Do you have anything that can shine very brightly?"

"Shine... brightly?" The peach-haired girl blinks, clearly not expecting such a random question. "Nope...?"

"Ah..."

 _'So much for that...'_

It seems she can't avoid using it, after all.

Without another word, Nepgear returns her sight to the fight, not even minding how Compa is still staring quizzically at her—

 _ **"...!"**_

And then it happens.

An evasion followed by an imperfect landing. A step placed too far forward as IF touches the ground. Just like that, the brunette loses her footing, body falling backwards just as the halberd's handle comes.

The Candidate's whole body tenses up

This is it.

 _'Now!'_

It all happens too fast for anyone to react.

Suddenly, Nepgear moves, taking hold of the Sharicite on the ground and placing a feet in front of her as she hastily raises from the ground. Half a second later, she coats the crystal in her mana and throws it upwards as strong as possible, sending the object flying above the battlefield.

One second has passed until now.

"Gaaaaah!"

 _'Second step!'_

Not losing a beat, Nepgear sidesteps to the side, right in from of IF's thrown body, just in time for it to impact her body with the force of a car, knocking the air out of the Candidate. Still, such a force is not nearly enough to send a CPU flying, as Nepgear proves by coming to a halt a mere meter away, leaving a pair of trails from her feet sinking in the dirt.

Two seconds have gone by.

 _'Third step!'_

Using the augmented strength of her HDD, Nepgear immediately places IF under her left arm, face pointing forward, with ease, immediately rushing towards Compa as she does so. The nurse can only yelp as the Candidate's right arm wraps itself around her waist and pulls her close, as if hugging the girl, only to twist a bit and hold her just like the brunette.

Four seconds were left behind.

 _'And finally...'_

For a mere instant, a white glyph appears under Nepgear, only to disappear as she does a simple, short jump—

 ***BOOOOOOM***

—and is sent flying upwards at a little over ten miles per hour, changing course towards a random direction while carefully accelerating in order not to accidentally kill her passengers.

"KYAAAAAAH!"

"GEAR, WHAT THE HEEEEELL?!"

Her screaming, panicked passengers, that is.

Six seconds have expired.

 _'The last step!'_

Nepgear reaches out to the Sharicite, focusing on her weak, makeshift connection with it, and forcefully attacks it with all her willpower, compressing the energy as hard as possible.

Even as her own mana is drained to alarming levels, even as a weak dizziness attacks her mind and becomes progressively worse, she doesn't stop for a single instant, pushing harder and harder against the crystal's core.

Two long seconds later, the result makes itself clear through a quiet yet unbelievably bright flash coming from behind.

 _"ARGH! MY EYES! MY EEEEYEEES!"_

Nepgear can't help but smile at the loud, masculine voice which reverberates through the Graveyard.

 _'I did it!'_

And all it took to survive were eight seconds of action!

A smile crosses the Candidate's lips. For all her uselessness, at least she could get something done.

Now, for the next course of action.

Azure eyes focus forward. In the distance, a familiar violet barrier of sorts makes itself known, the separation between the outside world and the corruption encroaching the Graveyard. Behind it is the clear image of a familiar mountain range, its colors darkened by the unnatural filter surrounding the flying island.

Nepgear is almost there, almost free.

So the girl continues to raise her speed, focusing on escaping before any sort of retaliation comes. The Graveyard's limit grows closer and closer, her salvation almost within reach as she traverses the twisted landscape.

Innumerable streams of a yellow liquid adorn the view before her eyes, alongside piles and more piles of old, rusted metal. Massive tubes colored red and purple are strewn across the Graveyard and connected to metallic facilities placed at seemingly random, bringing to mind the image of gigantic earthworms as they enter and exit the dark dirt beneath for no discernible reason.

A notable landmark is the familiar yet no less unsettling mechanical tower she has just passed by, several lit televisions along its body displaying featureless bright green screens as a scarlet, eye-like decoration watches over the corrupted Graveyard, located under several glowing green extensions not unlike which form what appears to be a twisted crown.

For some reason, it almost feels like the eye is staring a hole through the back of her head.

 _'How did this place become like this...?'_

It's as if the scenery itself is only like this to remind her that the nightmare isn't over yet.

Unsurprisingly, a grimace manages to find its way to Nepgear's features. This is one sight she won't particularly miss.

As she continues on her way, the corruption never diminishes. No matter how close to the island's limits she is, the stale, _dead_ landscape is always the same, showing her an image of hopelessness, of a small world with no future.

And then, the girl crosses the barrier.

And then, her whole soul is filled with wonderment.

The skies, now no longer obscured, greet her with their bright azure, a sight which is unbelievably familiar and yet no less comforting to the girl. Innumerable splotches of white cover the blue canvas no matter where her eyes point, and the bright light shining above signals the middle of a warm afternoon.

Her eyes descend towards the ground, only to see the ending of the rocky mountain range and the beginning of a lush green forest, alongside a heart-shaped lake surrounding a gigantic, beautiful castle.

Nepgear doesn't remember the sight being so breathtaking before.

Her lips tug upwards as she adjusts her route towards Planeptune. It seems she was going north instead of west, how careless of her.

Still, all that matters is that the Graveyard has been left behind, right?

"G-Gear..."

"Ge-Ge..."

 _'... AH!'_

In that instant, Nepgear's eyes widen as she slowly decelerates, making sure not to change speeds too suddenly.

How come she forgot about them?!

Frantically, light blue orbs turn left and right towards the two passengers, only to widen even further.

They look... horrible, the both of them. Their eyes are unfocused, their faces are pale and... Gosh, Compa is even covering her mouth!

"Goodness, I'm so sorry!" Nepgear frantically shouts, eyes hastily wandering around the landscape beneath.

 _'A landing spot, a landing spot, goodness, what's a good landing spot—Ah, there!'_

Without delay, the Candidate immediately begins her slow descent, doing her best not to worsen the situation.

 _A situation she has caused_ , that is.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry!" the girl repeats again and again, guilt laced with her words as she seeks some sort of forgiveness for her massive blunder.

The several groans she hears instead don't make her feel particularly better.

* * *

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 _'This spot looks good...'_

Just as her feet touch the ground, Nepgear carefully places her friends down on the grass, under the shade of one of the many trees nearby, wincing as they let out yet another pair of groans.

 _'Goodness...'_

Seriously, how did she manage to screw up this much? It doesn't matter if you have motion sickness or not, when you're blasting through the high skies at ludicrous speeds, you're either a transformed Goddess or struggling to keep your last meal in!

Needless to say, her shifting and groaning friends lying on the grass certainly aren't wearing skintight bodysuits.

Letting out a sigh, Nepgear walks up to the tree and leans back on it. Unbidden, sapphire eyes point towards the large, borderline giant heart-shaped lake nearby whose shape she only knows seing it from above, and the colossal castle built on an island by the center, its rocky yet polished appearance a testament of the perfectionism of ages ago.

Lying by the lakeside near a breathtaking sight like that is soothing, isn't it? In that case, it should calm down their upset stomachs, right?

... Does it even work that way?

Yet another sigh sounds. Nepgear has so much to ask Compa once she's alright...

Still, first things first.

A white light covers the Candidate's whole body, only to fade a moment later, revealing a white outfit reminiscent of a school uniform and a single white D-pad hairclip adorning the left side of her frontal hair. Her eyes, once a vibrant azure, are now a pure violet, while her lilac hair has grown a few shades darker.

Relief washes over the girl as an odd feeling of liberation overtakes her body. Even though it powers up her useless self, HDD always takes quite a toll on her stamina. Thankfully, it seems the time she spent imprisoned didn't "count," or else her transformation would have ended long ago.

At that, the girl purses her lips, a simple question revealing itself in her mind.

How did ASIC force them all to stay in HDD form? That shouldn't even be possible!

Well, neither should Magic be that ridiculously strong, but the point remains.

Also, now that she thinks about it, how did they survive without food? Does it have something to do with the endless HDD, or is it another cause entirely?

... Did ASIC feed them?

"!"

Nepgear instantly shakes her head, doing her damnedest to obliterate these thoughts.

They bring about some very... unsettling... implications.

She'd rather... believe it to be... some sort of... forbidden... sealing... magic...

... Huh...?

Why does she... suddenly... feel so...

"Yaaawn..." the girl suddenly lets out, almost automatically rubbing her suddenly heavy eyes afterwards.

This... isn't normal... is it...? Is this... because of her... fading adrenaline...?

Even so... why is she... _this_ tired... in the first place...?

 _'... Ah.'_

Right...

Exploding the Sharicite... was quite a chore... wasn't it...?

Gosh... Maybe she should just... lie down... for a few minutes... or hours...

"Ugh..."

"Huh...?"

Broken out of her thoughts, drowsy dark purple orbs slowly turn towards the source of the sound, only to see the brunette slowly raising from the ground.

Nepgear raises a quizzical eyebrow. "IF...?" That was... fast.

Is she really feeling fine already...?

"Aw, man..." If her unsteady footing and the way she's holding her head are anything to go by, the answer is a clear _**no**_. "What the hell was that...?"

It doesn't take long for her confused green eyes to fall on the tired Candidate leaning against the trunk. "Gear, what was all that about?"

"Ah, um..."

Goodness... How should she answer that...?

"I mean, I was hit," the brunette says, eyebrows scrunching together as she continues. "And then we suddenly were all flying. I think I even saw a flash..." the girl trails off, eyes descending to the grass as something akin to realization crosses her features.

Unsurprisingly, the sudden silence makes the Candidate worried. "IF—"

"Where's the Sharicite?"

Nepgear blinks. "... Eh?"

IF suddenly looks up, narrowed green eyes staring deep into light blue. " **Where. Is. The. Sharicite?** "

...

...

...

 ** _'...?!'_**

For a moment, it feels as if every single drop of Nepgear's blood freezes in her body.

That tone... It wasn't annoyance, no...

Instead, it was...

It was...

"...!"

The girl's breathing hastens, eyes widening in pure fear even as her tired eyelids feel heavy. A thousand frigid shivers descend her spine as she stares into the brunette's deep emerald orbs, filled with nothing but... but...!

 _'N-No... That's not... It can't...'_

In a single instant, all relief, happiness and any remnant of useless hope that was in her soul die at once, all murdered horribly by a single glare.

IF takes a step forward.

 _'W-What should I say...? What should I do...?!'_

The brunette slowly approaches her, and yet all Nepgear can do is meet her gaze with terror.

That look IF is shooting her...

 _ **Why is it so hateful?!**_

"Nepgear..." the brunette murmurs just as she's a few feet away. The Candidate finally manages to part her lips, the first step for her to say _anything_ , but then...

Before her sluggish body can react, IF is already centimeters away, fists gripping her collar as she pins the Nepgear against the tree.

"AH?!"

A shout of surprise sounds as the Candidate's horror grows tenfold, eyes widening even further and breathing growing irregular and ragged as her heart beats much faster than it should. And yet, as azure meets green, it's obvious that her pitiful display is of no concern to the brunette.

" **Answer. Me.** " IF mutters through clenched teeth, fury seeping into her voice.

"I... I..."

"I-Iffy...?" a familiar voice sounds from nearby, and yet none of the girls pay attention to it.

Not that they can at this point.

IF is angry, much more than the Candidate has ever seen anyone be. Her narrowed eyes display nothing but hate as she stares into amethyst.

As for the target of her rage?

Nepgear is trembling.

When faced by someone stronger, the Candidate is trembling, a testament to just how laughably **weak** she is. She should move, she should react, and yet she doesn't, even as her instincts scream at her that something **horrible** awaits if nothing is done.

And for an instant, as she stares down fury incarnate, Nepgear believes it. In that single, fleeting moment, no matter how foolish and outlandishly unrealistic the idea sounds, the Candidate actually believes it.

If Nepgear answers wrong, she'll kill her.

 _IF will kill her, without hesitation, just like Magic did._

 _'So, what?! What should I say?!'_

"I-I had no choice! I had to! He was too strong! We were going to die—Argh!" The Candidate is forcefully interrupted by an elbow pulling against her windpipe, not enough to actually hurt her, but enough to signal her to _shut up_. "I-IF..."

"Do you have _any idea_ how long it took to make that crystal?!" the brunette screams at her, each word coming as strongly as the last. "Three! Years! Three whole damn years of hard, nonstop work! We're not CPUs, we can't just _gather_ Shares walking around and announcing our accomplishments, dammit! We had to make some people actually _believe_ with all their heart that there was still a chance!"

 _'No... We couldn't have won... We couldn't have done anything...!'_

Nepgear desperately wants to speak, to _talk_ , to **explain** , and yet all that exits her mouth are fearful incoherent groans, words refusing to form from her stunned and tired mind.

"Iffy...!"

"And then this is how it ends?! With that damn crystal used as a goddamn flashbang?!" she continues, not even caring that Nepgear is now gasping, not even budging as the Candidate's weak hands come up to try and pry hers away. "You just wasted our only chance in order to save your own hide! You just ran away with your tail between your legs and dragged us with you instead of helping us save the CPUs! You just abandoned your sister!"

 _'No... No, I didn't! I wanted to save them! I wanted to help! But I was too weak to do anything!'_

This shouldn't be happening. It just shouldn't! Nepgear saved them, they all survived! This was supposed to be the best conclusion, right?! They would escape, and then search for allies, grow powerful and save the CPUs!

So why is it going differently?

Why is IF doing this?!

"I-Iffy, stop!"

"We could have held Judge off, saved everybody! But then you just... gave up! You didn't even try to help! Why?!" the brunette shouts, anger, desperation and grief alike in each word.

 _'No...'_

"You destroyed our only hope of saving them!"

 _'No.'_

"ASIC knows we were there, who knows what they'll do to them now?!

 _'NO!'_

"And no matter what, we can't do anything without a Sharicite, dam—...?!"

IF suddenly freezes, the fury in her eyes being replaced by surprise. The reason why is simple.

A pair of weak hands wrapped around her own neck, coming from the girl in front of her.

They're not tightening, neither pushing the brunette away; if anything, the useless gesture is symbolic at most.

Still, as amethyst orbs, narrowed out of tiredness more than anything else, stare deep into stunned emerald, Nepgear can clearly see her desperate attempt had some effect on IF. Even as her eyelids feel more and more heavy by the second, even as her earlier exhaustion finally catches up to her, the shock written on the brunette's face is still clear enough.

And so, Nepgear finally speaks. As her body slowly gives in to the need of rest, and her hands let go to fall back to her sides lifelessly, the girl still manages to let out five shaky words.

"Can't do... anything dead... either..."

That's her excuse, the core of her explanation. All she can do is hope—no, expect it to be enough.

The answer reveals itself in a mere second as green eyes widen. For an instant, Nepgear sees some sort of realization mixed amidst IF's shock, and feels the elbow last lightly pushing against her neck retreat almost immediately.

She won. That's the thought which crosses the Candidate's mind.

A moment later, her shaky legs finally give in.

"G-GEAR?!"

"GE-GE!"

And then...

 ***Thud***

The world turns black.

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 _'At least... we're still alive...'_

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 _ **I don't really have an excuse for the length this time.**_

 _ **Seriously, the chapter was supposed to be, like, 3k words tops, but then I just kinda wrote up until a satisfying ending scene.**_

 _ **... You know what? I may as well stop talking about length altogether. I just hope nobody goes crazy when a "minuscule" chapter with 3k words shows up.**_

 _ **Moving on!**_

 _ **And right after I say this isn't a drama, I pull out yet another dramatic move.**_

 _ ***Sigh***_

 _ **At the very least there was some lightheartedness here. From here on out that's how it's supposed to be: not a comedy, not an edgy drama, but something in-between that can't be explicitly called either. Only y'know, with a bit more lightheartedness than what was in this chapter.**_

 _ **So, quite a lot of things happened here. A few more vague details about Nepgear's "void", the trio finally escaping Judge and the first obvious massive shift from canon.**_

 _ **"But IF is soooo OOC! She would never harm Nepgear!"**_

 _ **Thank you for not getting the point.**_

 _ **Context means a lot, and Nepgear didn't "valiantly stand up to Judge" before "being grudgingly forced to flee to survive".**_

 _ **Point is, at least from IF's perspective, this is their first meeting in three years, which means that whatever tight bond they had has waned considerably. Again, at least to IF.**_

 _ **Thus, while their relationship seemingly resumed itself in the game without problems as they got along well, here we have Gear as a borderline acquaintance who wasted away three years of hard work that'd make Noire look as lazy as Plutia to keep herself from harm, all because of semi-rational yet seemingly unfounded fear.**_

 _ **We know that's not exactly the case, but does IF?**_

 _ **No, they won't "hate each other," now that would be just unreasonable, but what happened here when IF lost her cool for once isn't exactly something they can shrug off a day later. What changes this shift brings about is something... I won't go revealing in a freaking Author's Note.**_

 _ **And thus I prove this is not a totally boring rewrite of canon!**_

 _ **Only a mildly boring one!**_

 _ **That's pretty much everything I had to say, so there we go. Shit happens, stuff changes and this won't be the last of it.**_

 _ **So, remember to review, you people!**_

 _ **And until next time, y'all!**_

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Peach-colored eyes wander around the sight before them, taking in every detail with an almost melancholic gaze.

The lilac-haired girl is lying sideways under the shade of the tree, eyes closed as her exhausted body rests. With each slow breath she takes, her chest puffs slightly, only to diminish as the air leaves her lips, and while there is no smile on her face, no frown can be seen either, leaving her expression neutral to the world outside.

It's a serene image. Soothing, even.

And yet, it still elicits a sigh from the nurse-in-training.

Was Nepgear this tired from the moment she was freed? Or was her energy drained by something else? If it's the latter, Compa already knows the cause.

Along with the other consequences, of course.

The girl slowly glances backwards, a worried frown finding its way to her lips. There, on the edge of the lake, is IF, lying on her back as her unfocused emerald eyes lazily watch the azure skies, obviously deep in thought.

And with a clear scarlet imprint of a hand on her cheek.

The nurse lets out yet another sigh.

IF was wrong in attacking Nepgear, and Compa knows the brunette regrets it, perhaps even excessively so. However, the nurse can't say she doesn't understand why her friend lost her composure.

Those three years were incredibly harsh on every single one of them, from the lowest worker in the Basilicom who still held some sort of faith to Histoire herself, and for the Sharicite to be spent like that feels like a blatant disregard of all their hard work.

Compa understands that. Compa _feels_ that.

But still, there's a small problem.

She also understands why Nepgear wanted so desperately to escape.

Judge was powerful, a CFW for goodness' sake. IF was being successful in distracting him, but whether that'd last was another matter entirely, as evidenced by how the brunette eventually took a hit.

The other CPUs might have been saved had they stayed, but it was a risky "plan," if it could even be called that. IF wouldn't give up and escape, however, and so neither could Compa.

Maybe if the admittedly stubborn brunette was convinced, somehow, that it wasn't worth the risk, then she wouldn't be so strongly against Nepgear's earlier actions.

Maybe if _Compa_ had understood that, things would have gone differently.

 _"In retrospect,"_ Histoire's regretful voice sounds through the small earpiece, _"perhaps this mission wasn't as well-thought-out as I believed..."_

Peach-colored eyes can clearly see IF wincing at those words, and the nurse herself almost does the same.

If only they had been more careful... If only they had better equipment... If only... If only...

Now that she thinks about it, there were a thousand ways for this secret _unauthorized_ rescue to go much better, but they where wholly unprepared for everything to go wrong.

For starters, although they had several gadgets, from tranquilizers to small heat sensors, they most certainly didn't know how to use a Flash spell and hadn't brought any flashbangs.

Needless to say, tranquilizers wouldn't have been particularly effective against Judge.

In a way, that's what stings the most. They couldn't save all the CPUs precisely because _they weren't ready._

 _'But, still...'_

The nurse brings her sight back to the sleeping Candidate, and she can't stop a small smile from making its way to her lips.

That's still a victory, isn't it? Even though it feels like a failure, they still accomplished something.

They saved someone.

No, it wasn't just "someone".

 _'We saved Ge-Ge.'_

For a few moments longer, the nurse continues to watch the familiar girl resting on the grass, several memories from when she and IF were younger playing in her mind without pause.

Compa missed her. She truly did.

 _'Maybe we can still do it.'_

Her smile widens at that.

 _'We're alive, so we can still save everyone!'_

That thought, that realization, brings far more comfort than even Compa herself expected.

As long as there's still a chance, they can't give up. With their efforts, they managed to bring Nepgear back, and with her the hope that ASIC may still be defeated, no matter how bleak the situation looks.

Planeptune can fight back, regain all Shares lost. And they _will_ do that.

But, for now...

 _'It's time to head back.'_

Without further delay, the nurse turns around towards her other dear friend, and, with a cheerful smile, she speaks.

"Iffy! Let's go ho... me..."

... Only to notice the girl in question in the same position as before, but now with her eyes closed as she takes a peaceful nap by the lakeside.

That is to say, unconscious.

Just like Nepgear.

"..."

Now _that_ might be a problem.

"W-What should I do...?" the nurse quietly murmurs to herself, a troubled smile of confusion finding its way to her lips. "Iffy was tired too...?"

 _"... It seems her body overexerted itself to regenerate her lost mana,"_ Histoire calmly explains, an edge of disappointment in her voice.

"Oh."

And that's when Compa realizes.

She never healed IF after the brunette was hit.

" _... O_ _h_."

 _'So that's why, huh...?'_

The girl's shoulders slump at the thought, a defeated frown clear on her face.

Compa even had plenty of time to notice her blatant mistake, what with IF taking a short rest right there, but she didn't. That's just... incredibly embarrassing...

At this point, she's seriously considering digging a comfy little hole for herself and hiding inside it forever, maybe even bringing some fluffy plushies with her. Compa was supposed to be a nurse, wasn't she...?

 _"This may sound insensitive on my part, but... ASIC might still locate you in such an unprotected location. M_ _ay you bring these two back to Planeptune?"_ Histoire requests, apologetic tone proof that she understands just how borderline unreasonable her words are.

The worst part, Compa muses, is how she can't argue with that in any way. It _would_ be terrible for them to be caught after all their efforts, after all.

Although the prospect of carrying two grown girls through who knows how many miles doesn't sound particularly enticing to her...

"Awwww..."

For some reason, Compa feels as if she won't enjoy the experience too much.

 _"... If it helps, I shall have a driver ready for you in the outskirts,"_ Histoire suddenly speaks, her words an obvious attempt cheer the girl up.

Not that it feels very effective, though.

On one hand, that means a couple less miles of walking.

On the other hand...

 _'My legs will turn into mushy jelly way before I meet Mr. Driver...'_

And a third sigh sounds. No matter where Compa is, it seems she can't escape the troublesome life of a nurse-in-training.

... Well, nothing she can do about it right now.

So, with a reluctant scowl and hesitance in her mind, the girl walks up to Nepgear and carefully reaches down to her lilac-haired friend's sleeping form.

At least she's pretty great at carrying bodies...


	4. Wild Gust in the Night

Purple.

In this room dimly lit by the moonlight, its shade is much darker, rendering it almost unrecognizable. However, purple is still purple, no matter how dark it seems.

Thus, it's undoubtedly purple that the girl sees. Just a mere meter above her, it's purple that paints the rectangular protrusion on the metallic gray wall, its size about the same as that of the white mattress beneath her.

Purple is the color of advancement, the hue of this nation's ideals. Purple is the drive to keep moving forward, no matter how much darkness hides the path ahead. Purple is the will to face the future head-on, only looking back in fleeting remembrance instead of despairing regret.

Purple is the very soul of Planeptune, The Land of Progress.

And yet, for violet eyes, the color simply feels empty.

Just like the second bed above the girl.

"..."

Long ago, there was another girl who slept on that vacant bed. A cheerful girl who had the power to make all those around her smile. An amazing girl who shined far brighter than anyone else, and yet never once looked down on another soul.

A girl who is not here anymore, her light nowhere to be seen.

"... Neptune..."

It hurts. Simply being in this place hurts _._

Hidden under the white blanket, clad in the same dirty clothes which once rested on grass, the lilac-haired girl resists the urge to tremble, to just let the tears pooling in her eyes fall freely.

Crying won't accomplish anything. It won't bring back her sister, and it won't defeat her enemies either. It will only make her feel even more useless than she already does.

Then again, isn't that true for every single action she took until now?

 ** _"You just abandoned your sister!"_**

The girl winces, blinking away stray tears which only served to make her eyes sting.

She made the right choice. Running away was the correct course of action. She's not attempting to convince herself of that, she _knows_ it was the only way to survive.

And _that_ is what makes her feel so miserable. There was no other way because she was _weak_ , and not even her Hard Drive Divinity could change that.

ASIC was stronger, and so they won. It's simple as that.

If only she had more power... If only she could become as terrifyingly strong as Magic herself...

But... that's impossible. To gain so much strength in such a short time is simply impossible.

The girl needs something else. Something other than the ability to dodge, slash and use amateurish spells. She needs more skills, more possibilities. She must be able to fight, run and hide without problems, to survive her battles and force a win somehow.

"..."

And the more she thinks about it, the more lost she feels.

Where should she even begin? What should she do first? Forge a gun for ranged attacks? Make bombs to throw around? Maybe she could build a small robot to use as a puppet of sorts, cowardly but effectively keeping herself from harm?

Are any of those even viable for her? Can she truly construct something on a whim and use it to its full potential? Would her HDD even accept all of these as weapons and upgrade them like her sword, or would she remain wielding a gunblade no matter what?

Is she being far too delusional? Is she dreaming of something out of her reach?

If only there was someone to tell her what to do... If only Neptune was still here with her...

...

...

...

"This isn't going anywhere..."

She's rambling. Now that she finally has the time to rest and think, the girl is allowing her mind to soar without aim, with no urgencies to derail her whimsical thoughts.

It doesn't matter if such a thing is pitiful, it's not as if her conscious self can accomplish anything else at the moment. After all, the girl is simply lying on her bed, waiting for tiredness to overtake her mind.

Which is not happening, obviously. As a matter of fact, she feels quite active still.

"..."

In that case, perhaps the best course of action is closing her eyes anyway and attempting to force her body to sleep.

...

...

...

Amethyst eyes slowly crack open after several minutes, bearing a neutrality which can only be described as disappointment.

This isn't going anywhere either, it seems.

With a long sigh, the girl slowly raises, careful not to bump into either the gray stairs leading above or the bottom of the second bed as she twists her body to sit on the edge of the mattress.

It's clear that sleep won't come any time soon. At this rate, she might as well just bring her ramblings somewhere else.

Without the slightest hesitation, her feet touch the cold, metallic floor.

* * *

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 ***IF***

 **Wild Gust in the Night**

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 _'It's cold...'_

That's the first thought in Nepgear's mind as she steps out into the night. Right on cue, a calm breeze blows, gently rustling her long lilac hair and dirty clothes alike.

 _'But... it also feels nice, somehow.'_

It's not a freezing touch. Instead, it's more of a soothing caress.

Maybe this is exactly what she needs right now.

The girl takes a deep breath of the darkness' clean air, allowing her mind to relax for the time being. Her eyes slowly take in the surroundings, as if searching for any difference, any inconsistency between reality and memories.

The place where she stands now is just a small veranda atop the Neptower, directly connected to her home. Instead of luxurious and elegant as most would expect, its appearance is the simplest of all: merely the half of a large metallic circle glued to the side of the gigantic tower, its radius of about five meters.

The so-called veranda's size is minuscule when compared to the building it finds itself attached to. Needless to say, such a place is almost invisible from the distant ground, much like most of the Neptower's finer details.

Still, Nepgear likes it. There's nothing wrong with this kind of simplicity.

Slowly, the girl takes a step forward, and another, and another. Quiet "thumps" sound each time her feet touch metal, but they sound far from annoying to her even in this silent atmosphere.

Behind her, a mechanical "vwiish" coupled with the rasp of metal signals the doorway's closing mechanism in action, bringing the metallic door from above to seal the passage. Still, the Candidate doesn't even glance behind her as she continues walking forward, towards the farthermost point of the short security railing. And then, just as she reaches it, the girl leans forward, allowing both elbows to rest on cold metal as her eyes wander over the landscape.

... It's a nice view.

As a minuscule smile finds its way to Nepgear's lips, that is the simplest way her mind can describe it.

From near the top of this gigantic tower, nothing that amethyst eyes can see is even close to the girl's current location. As a matter of fact, the second biggest building, a nearby massive construction with several hundred floors illuminated by the lights from inside, reaches only roughly half the Neptower's height.

That means all is visible to Nepgear, or at least it certainly feels like it. The great capital of Planeptune is before her, beneath her, innumerable lights revealing every nook and cranny of the sprawling metropolis. Houses, cars and the like are indiscernible from this height, but the simple movements of distant glows have always been more than enough for the girl to understand how brisk her nation is.

In a way, it's as if nothing changed.

At that thought, her smile widens slightly. Some spots on the scenery seem off, but there is no doubt that this is the same city as the one in her memories, its wonderful visage as lively amidst the night as it is through the day.

That realization, as simple as it is, feels strangely comforting.

Whimsically, violet orbs point upwards, staring into the dark sky as yet another cool breeze blows past. It looks... _vacant_ as almost no light makes itself known amidst the heavens, leaving only a white crescent moon and lone stars to shine above the clouds. Most of the view is obfuscated, and the only thing to blame is the capital's bright illumination.

Not that such a thing is a novelty, however. Darkness has ruled the sight above for much more than Nepgear has been alive, after all.

 _'Although that's still a bit sad...'_

It's almost as if the night's sky was taken away from them at some point, an unmistakable sacrifice for progress. It was surely worth it, and yet the girl can't help but think there was some tragedy to that loss.

From outside the city, the starry heavens are far more beautiful than any sight in this metropolis, after all.

As she continues to think, the girl's eyes unbiddenly drift over to the horizon, where several dark shapes make themselves known. Those are without a doubt the mountain range which encroaches the center of Gamindustri.

That is where the corrupted Graveyard lays.

At the mere remembrance of her troubles, Nepgear's smile fades away in an instant, her escapist thoughts coming to a halt.

 _'That's right. They're still there...'_

The ones she couldn't save. The monsters she couldn't defeat. Both are on that flying island just beyond the mountains, all waiting for her to take action.

"But... can I really do it?" the girl quietly murmurs to herself, doubt awfully clear in her voice.

Her actions may change _something_ , but will it be enough? Will it ever be enough? Nepgear might have saved her friends from their demise, but in the end her earlier actions amount to nothing more than running away. If fleeing is all she can do, how can the impotent girl possibly raise her head, step forward and save the world?

It honestly sounds like a fool's errand.

 _'... No. I shouldn't be thinking about that, not now.'_

It doesn't matter how much it rings true, such a line of thought is just pointless. Nepgear doesn't even have a basic understanding of the world's current state, only that it is _worse_ somehow. To wonder about her future actions without knowing of her surroundings is simply... unproductive.

 _'Which is just a nice way of saying useless,'_ the frowning girl silently muses to herself.

For what feels like the millionth time, a sigh threatens to escape the Candidate's lips as her shoulders slump forward, elbows pressing against the metallic railing with a tad more weight than before. Her whole life is in disarray, and yet she can do absolutely nothing about it. How... underwhelming.

 _'Which is just a nice way of saying pathetic,'_ the scowling girl silently muses to herself.

Half a second later, Nepgear processes her own thoughts. And two seconds later, her forehead finds itself firmly planted on her resting arms.

When did her mind become so antagonistic, again?

 _'Which is just a nice way of saying I hate myself—Ah.'_

The girl twitches.

This might be... troublesome to deal with.

A puff of air exits the Candidate's lips just as she raises her head, allowing her chin to rest on her arms. In her sullen features, one wouldn't be able to see more than a tired, bored and exasperated girl.

In other words, exactly what she is at the moment.

Maybe she should just go back to bed. It's not as if her aimless thoughts have led her anywhere tonight—

 ***Vwiiish***

At the sudden mechanical sound from behind, a frigid chill of surprise descends Nepgear's spine. Not an instant later, the girl hastily pulls herself away from the railing, instinctively turning around to face the source of the noise, and then...

The lilac-haired girl freezes.

As does the brunette by the doorway, clad only in the wrinkled black shorts and tube top which once were beneath a blue coat whilst missing her usual sidetail.

"..."

"..."

Neither can find it in themselves to react at first.

Nepgear simply stares at her... friend, perhaps, with a blank, slightly widened gaze, not a single word coming from her parted lips. IF, meanwhile, does the exact same, up to the slight mouth movements which speak volumes of her loss of words.

To say they didn't expect to meet each other here would be an horrendous understatement.

"..."

"..."

Eventually, the brunette is the first to jolt out of her stupor, emerald orbs immediately finding something awfully interesting to the brunette's far right just as a frown mars her features.

Still, not a single murmur comes from her lips.

"..."

"..."

And so Nepgear stares, perhaps out of a mix of drowsiness and surprise, maybe because of petty curiosity. Without a clear reason, she nervously eyes the silent girl with a questioning gaze, as if waiting for something, _anything_ , to happen.

And, thankfully, it does.

"O-Oh, well..."

"... Huh?" Unsurprisingly, it takes a moment for the Candidate to realize IF actually spoke. "Um... Y-Yes?"

"How should I put it..." Slowly, the brunette brings her sight back towards Nepgear, allowing a supposedly disarming grin to overtake her embarrassed features. "H-Hey. You're finally awake, huh? It's been days, you know."

"..."

"It was weird," IF continues when the other girl doesn't respond. "Histoire said to just let you be, no food and all, since you were 'still absorbing residual Shares from the crystal' or something like that. I didn't really get what she was saying."

"..."

"I guess CPUs are just strange, huh? I mean, it's like you were being fed by Shares alone,," the brunette comments, her grin growing slightly. "But, well... What I'm saying is... Nice to see you're, um, alive."

"..."

Nepgear blinks.

It's trembling. The wide grin on IF's face, the Candidate realizes, is _trembling_ for some reason.

It takes a few moments, but the brunette does notice just how unnatural her expression looks. Just as it happens, she suddenly kills it before averting her eyes once more, an obvious attempt at keeping the already dangerous levels of awkwardness from rising even further.

"..."

"..."

Her success is... debatable.

"..."

"..."

The Candidate eventually takes a deep breath, eyes never leaving the other girl's... side of the head as a single drop of sweat runs down her right cheek.

This atmosphere feels off-putting, unbearably so. The brunette surely thinks the same of it, but for whatever reason she seems far more interested in avoiding eye contact than anything else.

"..."

"..."

And that only makes the situation even _more_ agonizing.

 _'W-What the goodness should I do about this...?'_

"..."

"..."

Nepgear shifts uncomfortably. IF does the same.

"..."

"..."

 _And an answer never comes._

* * *

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It is a beautiful night.

A gentle wind occasionally makes itself known, blowing through the world the bright moon shines upon the bright capital of Planeptune. Up in the sky, very few gray clouds float though the darkness, erasing the possibility of a downpour to interrupt such a soothing atmosphere.

Indeed, it truly is a beautiful night.

It is simply unfortunate, then, that the lilac-haired girl leaning against the railing can't find it in herself to enjoy it properly; and the reason why is far too obvious. It is also female, brown-haired, clad in light black cloth and _right beside her_ , arms folded and back touching the very same railing as her while emerald eyes stare blankly at the wall near the door.

"..."

Needless to say, Nepgear is still unsure as to how she should feel about this situation.

On one hand, the atmosphere feels amicable enough, even if considerably uncomfortable. While the mood is certainly fragile, it doesn't seem as if everything can go utterly _wrong_ , for the lack of a better term.

On the other hand, the Candidate certainly remembers _before_.

 _'N-No one would be able to forget that...'_

Nepgear gulps, the action almost automatic. The mere memory is enough for her nervousness to grow tenfold, and the fact that its main cause is right next to her doesn't help much.

Even now, although IF seems calmer than ever, the girl can't help but think that the brunette still seems somewhat... _scary_.

And the worst part is how the fear itself is off-putting. Even though _that_ happened, Nepgear _shouldn't_ be feeling this way. Not to this extent.

The Candidate understands why IF was so angry before... Well, not really, but she _did_ piece together quite a plausible reason from the brunette's earlier words after waking up. She even attempted to analyze IF's previous state of mind, which... boiled down to pure guesswork, actually, but that isn't the point.

At this moment, Nepgear has several admittedly questionable yet somewhat sound motives to believe with all her heart that IF does _not_ hate her. She _knows_ the brunette isn't like that... probably.

Maybe IF distrusts Nepgear. Perhaps she even dislikes her. But she wouldn't—She just _can't_ possibly loathe the lilac-haired girl. This isn't wishful thinking, Nepgear _knows_ they're still acquaintances, if not friends. Probably acquaintances, though.

At the very least, _that's what she was supposed to believe._

Instead, the girl finds herself filled with fear. Fear that maybe, _just maybe,_ she's completely off-mark and the brunette truly does hate her. Even though she doesn't want to completely lose IF, the lilac-haired girl simply can't erase the negative thoughts swirling around her mind—

"Gear, there's this thing called peripheral vision," the brunette says nonchalantly, snapping the Candidate out of her thoughts. "I can sort of see you ogling me."

"...!"

Nepgear's breath hitches. In an instant, the girl immediately turns her head away from IF and towards the scenery.

When did her sideways glance become a full-fledged gaze?!

"... You're anything but discreet, you know?"

The lilac-haired girl winces, but she doesn't even look at the brunette. Instead, Nepgear remains still and silent, as if expecting her earlier "transgression" to be forgiven by the brunette through pure ignorance.

That probably isn't the best way to word her thoughts, but the nervous girl honestly doesn't care at the moment.

"And now you don't even want to glance, huh...?" IF's words come with disappointment and sadness alike before a sigh sounds through the veranda. "Can't say I'm surprised, though."

Nepgear has to resist the urge to wince a second time. Was that... mockery? No, if that was the brunette's intent, her tone didn't quite match; she sounded sad instead of smug, after all.

But, then, what is IF trying to say?

"I mean, I just woke up... and came here," the brunette continues, or at least that seems to be the intent behind her borderline nonsensical words, "and now we're standing around, not even looking at each other, and I'm just... I'm glad you didn't walk away, even though you probably want to, so..."

"..."

The Candidate frowns, her confusion growing by the moment. There is certainly a message in there, but to say it is clear would be an utter lie. Is IF... nervous?

... No, that much is laughably obvious. Nepgear simply didn't think the brunette would be nearly as affected as her. That surely implies _something_ , no doubt about it, but, sadly, the lilac-haired girl is hardly an expert at reading people.

Which simply means yet another thing she's horrible at, the Candidate dejectedly realizes as her eyes stare at the view. How... unfortunate.

"This... This is just stupid," the brunette suddenly says after a while, her voice a clear mix of fatigue and exasperation. "I'm not backing off, I do think that was a massive mistake, and you've been acting off for a while now, even though I probably am too, but... but we saved you, then I just pinned against a tree, and I'm sorry about that, but... Hell, what am I even saying here? I'm just rambling like an idiot, right?" This time, a chuckle escapes the girl's lips, but its sound is anything but cheerful. "Look, I know you probably hate me, but—"

"I don't."

IF freezes at the interruption. Slowly, her eyes drift to Nepgear, shooting her what can only be described as a mildly shocked stare.

The Candidate would know. As their eyes finally meet, her expression is the same, after all.

"..."

"..."

And that's when Nepgear realizes two things.

First, she was most certainly _not_ staring at IF a moment ago.

Second, _she didn't plan on what to say after that_.

Gosh, she didn't even plan on saying that at all! It was more of a knee jerk reaction than anything!

"...!"

As such, it's no wonder that, as soon as the surprise fades, violet eyes immediately point towards the nation beneath, even as green orbs continue boring holes in her head.

 _'W-What the goodness?!'_

This is honestly troublesome, and awkward, _and weird_! It's glaringly obvious neither girl is particularly used to this kind of social interaction, so the notion that they might actually be able to hold a decent conversation—or any conversation, really—is nothing short of outlandish!

Still... Nepgear can't simply stay silent after what she said, can she? That would be both nonsensical and incredibly rude of her.

Here, right now, she simply _has_ to speak something, or else possibly risk destroying any semblance of friendship which remains between the two girls.

 _'N-No pressure at all...'_

With that uplifting thought, the girl gulps, her nervousness announcing its presence louder than ever. Whatever comes out of her mouth, Nepgear only hopes— _expects_ for it to form some sort of cohesive message. Anything else would be embarrassing beyond comprehension at this point.

 _'So... here I go...!'_

"I... really don't hate you," the Candidate hesitantly begins, silently thanking the heavens for not freezing up mid-sentence as she expected. "You did scare me, I admit, but... you did have a reason for acting like that, I think..."

It's then that a small, sad frown makes its way to the lilac-haired girl's lips as she continues. "The Sharicite... I couldn't do anything else, so I just used it. Even though it was precious, I was... _am_ weak, so I used it. I know I can't just promise I won't do it again, it won't change anything, but I... I'll become stronger," the girl finally announces, desperate voice pleading for the brunette to believe her words.

And then, Nepgear turns her head towards the brunette, meeting disbelief and surprise with the most determined gaze she can manage before continuing. "Yes, I'll become stronger. So strong nothing like that will happen again. So that I won't let you down again, I'll become strong enough to save Neptune and the other CPUs. I promise."

That's it, those are the words the Candidate chose. They came clumsily, messy to the point of disbelief, but nothing can be done about it now. And so, as amethyst stares into shocked emerald, Nepgear nervously awaits for some sort of reaction, preferably a sign that IF took the so-called speech to heart.

... It was a massive lie, of course. At least it surely feels like it. What else can one call whimsical words chosen in the heat of the moment, each filled with fake bravado, coupled with a grand and vague promise?

But, really, it was all Nepgear could do. There was no other option besides saying what the brunette likely wanted to hear.

Does that make the Candidate a bad person? Oh, surely. The girl has not a single doubt about it. But she can't just allow her relationship with IF to be destroyed because of her own uselessness.

Besides, a strong person must have the will to lie like that.

Right...?

...

...

...

"Heheh..."

 _'Huh?'_

The lilac-haired girl jolts in her place, suddenly broken from her thoughts by the sudden... _chuckle_?

An instant later, she notices it.

 _IF is smiling at her_.

It's not even an ironic smile. It's a true, honest-to-goodness "there's still some happiness in my soul" smile.

 _And Nepgear can't understand why_.

"Alright, I admit, that was certainly something," the brunette comments, amusement clear in her voice. "Seriously, this conversation sure went badly if we're throwing speeches at each other now... But I guess I needed that."

 _'... Eh?'_

IF doesn't even bat an eye at Nepgear's dumbfounded expression as she once again points her eyes forward, towards the metallic wall of the Neptower. "Say, how about we start this all over again?"

The lilac-haired girl blinks.

"Ah, um... Sure?"

Clearly noticing the uncertainty in Nepgear's tone, the brunette can't help but widen her smile. "Great! That wasn't going anywhere anyway. Now, where to start..." With that, the girl grows silent as a pensive expression overtakes her features.

Fortunately, the silence gives the nervous Candidate a chance to think about this situation. Unfortunately, it doesn't help much with her confusion.

 _'H-How did her nervousness disappear so quickly? How did she laugh so easily like that?!... Did I say something funny?'_ the lilac-haired girl wonders curiously. Was her speech so ridiculous that she accidentally "broke the ice," so to speak? _'That... doesn't sound very uplifting...'_

Still, she has to thank her ridiculousness, as self-deprecating as that sounds. A few more minutes in that tense mood and she might have just bolted out of the veranda.

Besides... isn't this a sign that IF doesn't actually hate her?

 _'I'm glad...'_

If the brunette did, the lilac-haired girl would truly be at a loss of what to do. How does one respond to hate, after all?

"... Ah, I think I got it," IF finally speaks, drawing Nepgear's attention back to reality just the brunette turns towards her, her lips slightly tugged upwards. "Just hear me out for a bit, alright?"

It takes a moment for the Candidate to reply, but soon enough she silently nods at the other girl.

It's not as if she could give any other answer.

Seeing that, the brunette flashes Nepgear a quick, fleeting smile. "Thanks. Now, as for what I wanted to say..."

Suddenly, IF kicks off the railing, separating herself from the metal before turning around, emerald eyes focusing on the dark horizon as she begins. "These years... They were hell, you know?"

"..."

That much was clear from the start, the lilac-haired girl muses as she watches the brunette. Given how IF reacted, whatever she went through was anything but favorable.

Taking the silence as permission to continue, IF once again speaks. "One day, you guys just disappeared. Me and Compa went to the Basilicom and we were told you and Neptune were away... for five days straight." A chuckle sounds, humorous yet carrying some sadness. "When I think about it, we should have realized something was wrong by the second day. But, hey, we were just kids, some random Guild trainee and a little girl who wanted to be a nurse. We kind of were stupid by default."

Taking a deep breath of the night's air, the brunette glances at the dark sky, a smile finding its way to her lips as the memories come. "We also were the two of the most troublesome brats in Planeptune, I guess. In the sixth day, I sneaked out of the orphanage and Compa managed to get away from her grandfather for once. Then we just..." the girl trails off for a moment, a bashful smile on her face. "... sneaked into the Neptower, all the way to the Basilicom."

Nepgear blinks. "Huh?"

They just... sneaked into Planeptune's most important building...?

And they managed to do it?

 _And they got away with it?!_

Glancing right into the Candidate's ludicrous stare, IF can't help but let out a few nervous chuckles. "Yeah, um, we did get spotted easily, but it's not like the guards would use lethal force on two kids, so stopping us was a lot harder than it should be. They did catch us when we were already up here, but Histoire sent the guards away." The brunette's embarrassed smile widens slightly at the thought. "Although she tends to remind us of that now and then."

"Ah..." As much as she attempts to resist, a smile still crosses Nepgear's features. That does sounds like Histoire.

"A-Anyway," IF hastily says, once again catching the Candidate's attention, "long story short, we talked to Histoire and made her tell the truth. It was actually surprisingly easy, all things considered. We just had to fake some tears."

 _'Fake tears...?'_ Nepgear is honestly unsure about what to make of that bit of information. _'Goodness, kids sure are cruel...'_

... She did do that a few times when she was little, though...

"When she told us about how everyone had been captured, we didn't hesitate." Little by little, something akin to a melancholic smile forms itself on the brunette's features as she gazes towards the dark mountains far away. "We told Histoire we would like to help as much as possible. We insisted a lot, and she eventually agreed."

Following those words, a short laugh exits IF's mouth.

 _ **"We didn't even notice when we walked into hell."**_

"..."

A breeze blows through the veranda, softly caressing both girls with its soothing coolness.

And yet, as widened amethyst orbs stare at the brunette blankly gazing into the night, not even that is able to quell her surprise.

In a single instant, the friendly atmosphere was completely destroyed, and in its place is now an oppressive mood, filled with uneasiness and tension alike.

It almost feels overwhelming for Nepgear.

And, before she knows, IF speaks.

"At first, everything was easy enough," the girl says, her voice coming unnervingly neutral. "We had to wake up a bit earlier, do some quests and spread out pamphlets about the CPUs. It was simple, the work a pair of kids and a warrior or two could do without breaking a sweat." It's then that a long sigh makes itself known. "But, of course, it didn't last. It was a pretty short time, actually."

Suddenly, IF turns her gaze towards Nepgear, staring deep into her stunned eyes. "Factories burning to the ground. Shops being robbed and razed. By the time our security has enough budget and power prevent it, the economy is deep into a hellhole. Everything is too costly, piracy becomes commonplace, all the while hundreds of idiots spread the word about some Deity who can make everything better. We reveal that the idiots are responsible for the attacks, but people don't believe in the missing CPUs enough for many Shares to actually come back."

"..."

Nepgear attempts to respond. Truly, she does. However, all her efforts only amount to a few silent motions of her parted lips, each movement completely without meaning.

The Candidate simply can't believe that her nation—her _continent_ was brought down to its knees so easily.

It's ludicrous, impossible, unfathomable... and completely true.

 _'This has to be a nightmare...!'_

The brunette lets out a frustrated sound, something akin to a growl, before continuing. "Gamindustri got too used to peace, everybody listened to the protesters saying we shouldn't focus money on fighting power, and look where that got us: ASIC tore us apart like freaking paper! They had been around for years, but nobody knew they had this many people—and I just _know_ this was their plan all along. Meanwhile, me and Compa could do absolutely _nothing_ while everything went to hell all around us."

Finally, much to Nepgear's nervous relief, IF breaks eye contact as she leans forward, both hands gripping the railing as the brunette's sight washes over Planeptune. "When the Shares plummeted, the whole Basilicom panicked. Everyone began taking more quests, every single fighter started working themselves dry day by day, all the while we tried to please a whole population of idiots and make them have faith in the CPUs who weren't even around anymore. Sleeping more than five hours became a luxury, distrust was the new fad once ASIC spies began popping up and nobody knew what we were doing anymore, what with the income of Shares being almost nonexistent."

At this point, the Candidate simply can't tear her eyes away from the brunette. Each word IF says only fills Nepgear with dread, and yet she finds herself completely entranced, her focus on nothing but the girl nonchalantly recounting horrors as if simply reading the day's newspaper.

It's like watching a car crash, it's impossible to tear your eyes away from the scene. Except this is far worse than any petty crash could ever be.

"But we still did it," the brunette adds after a while, voice as emotionless as before. "Somehow, after months and months of killing ourselves with work, we managed to get enough Shares to produce a single Sharicite. The plan was both simple and stupidly desperate: get in the Graveyard, find the CPUs, recharge them, break out. With spies all around, Histoire decided to send untrained me instead of a possible trained traitor, and Compa just kind of decided to tag along." For the first time in a few long minutes, a chuckle comes from IF.

 ** _"And then you wasted it."_**

Nepgear winces, gaze drifting downwards. At once, guilt begins pooling in her mind, the gravity of her actions finally hitting her.

For the second time in this night, it takes all her willpower not to let tears fall.

It was far easier to rationalize her choice when she hadn't known the story. But now? When she's fully aware of how much effort and suffering it took to make that crystal?

To hell with rationalization, _this feels horrible_.

"I-I'm sorry..." the Candidate croaks out, her own voice cracking terribly.

"Seriously? You're _sorry_?

"...?!"

And yet, even though she should have expected it, the mocking tone with which IF's words come catch her completely unaware. Violet eyes snap towards the brunette leaning against the railing in surprise, widened even as crystalline blue begins pooling in them.

What she sees only makes her feel worse.

A narrowed gaze. A disgusted look.

A hateful glare, much like the one IF wore _before_.

"Does that mean you were wrong, then?" the brunette asks, an expectant tone in her voice. "Do you finally admit we should have stayed back there? That we could have saved everyone, but your own damn fear screwed everything up?"

Nepgear opens her mouth to respond. The answer IF wants is clear, all the Candidate has to do is say the word.

And yet, as she stares deep into emerald with her own amethyst orbs...

"..."

"..."

Not a sound comes.

 _'Why...? I... I did it before... I lied before, why can't I do it now...?'_

Nepgear has to be strong, strong enough to lie in order to save this failing relationship. If she cares about IF, she _has_ to be strong and lie through her teeth right now.

So... _why can't she_?!

"..."

How _useless_ she is.

In that case, the Candidate has to tell _the truth_ instead. That she has the power to come back from death, and that she died to that robot once. IF might doubt her, but...

...

Nothing. There is no "but," such a thing would sound like a madwoman creating unbelievable excuses. There is no reason for IF to believe her, no trust between the two of them, _nothing_.

Nepgear _has_ to lie.

But... she can't bring herself to do so, not while staring deep into the brunette's eyes like this. To spin words is one thing, but to deny her own beliefs is another level altogether, one she cannot bring herself to reach.

And that is just another reminder of how weak she is.

"... Tch."

Before the lilac-haired girl is able to say anything, the brunette pushes herself away from the railing, standing tall on her legs as she looks down at the Candidate. "You can't even make a choice...? What the hell happened to you, _Nepgear_?"

At this point she doesn't even seem mad, Nepgear realizes. Only... _horribly disappointed._

"..."

And that hurts far more than any amount of hate would.

Although her words came as a question, IF doesn't wait for an answer before turning around and walking away, her steps on metal echoing through the silent veranda as violet eyes follow her figure.

Nepgear failed. As the girl follows the brunette's example and raises from the railing, she has no doubt that she has failed.

IF hates her. Without a doubt, the brunette _loathes_ Nepgear for what she did.

The Candidate can only watch as IF moves away, closer and closer to the automatic door, farther and farther from Nepgear.

And, without a word, she reaches up to wipe away the few tears which escaped a moment ago.

 _'I am weak, after all...'_

...

...

...

"No."

IF halts. She doesn't turn around, but she halt nonetheless.

And that's all Nepgear wanted.

As she stands near the railing, facing the brunette's back with a shaky expression of determination, the girl attempts to muster up as much courage as possible.

And then, she opens her mouth.

"N-No," the Candidate hesitantly repeats before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself down. "I... I wasn't wrong. You used the Sharicite to save me, and I used the Sharicite to save you. Even if you don't think so, I truly believe we couldn't have rescued anyone else. So..."

In that moment, amethyst orbs snap open, filled with all the confidence the girl could gather, even if just for an instant. "I _am_ sorry for all you had to go through, but I won't apologize for using the Sharicite. Because I believe I was _right_. And you won't convince me otherwise, not even with guilt."

There. She said it. Being too weak to lie and intelligent enough not to tell the truth, using up a life's worth of courage, Nepgear said the half-truth to the friend she already lost.

As much as it stings, as much as it reminds the girl of her uselessness, if they'll drift apart anyway, it's only fair that IF gets an actual answer.

"..."

Said girl, however, doesn't react at first, simply standing in place. Then, she lets out a long sigh. "Let me just tell you something, Gear... It's _great_ that you feel that way, but I'll **_never_** forgive you for what you did."

"..."

Nepgear expected that. It **_hurts_** , but, from the moment she opened her mouth, the girl was fully aware that the only difference between the two possible conclusions was whether IF would accept the Candidate's words.

And she did. As the so-called Candidate of Planeptune grits her teeth whilst fighting shivers and clenches her fists as she holds back tears, she can't help but feel a minuscule, almost unnoticeable amount of pride at her accomplishment.

It's not as if she could have obtained more, after all.

As such, Nepgear can't bring herself to do anything as IF slowly turns around, undoubtedly to say a few more words to the useless Candidate, and...

...

...

...

 _ **Smile.**_

Nepgear almost chokes on air, disbelief overtaking her whole being in a matter of milliseconds.

Smile. That's undoubtedly a smile.

On IF's face. A bright smile.

At her. That's a smile. _At her_.

A smile. _There_.

IF.

 _IF._

 ** _Why is IF flashing the brightest smile Nepgear has ever seen?!_**

"..."

The Candidate attempts to comment on that, perhaps ask for a motive for such an action. So, she opens her mouth...

"Asfgh?"

... and subsequently decides to stay silent from then on.

"..."

Meanwhile, brunette doesn't react to the incredulous stare, neither does she point out Nepgear's hanging jaw. As a matter of fact, the smiling girl doesn't say _anything_ before turning back towards the door and resuming her walk.

Then, IF reaches the door, its mechanism opening it vertically.

Following that, IF goes through the doorway, and into the household.

And, finally, the door closes behind IF, hiding her from Nepgear's sight.

"..."

It all happened during the span of long five seconds, but somehow it almost feels as if the brunette disappeared from the Candidate's view in less than an instant.

"..."

And, even with the girl gone, Nepgear simply continues to stare at the metallic door, lost in her own shock and disbelief.

Seconds pass, fast as the breeze which suddenly hits the girl.

A minute goes by, certainly quicker than it has the right to.

Nepgear blinks.

"..."

Slowly, the Candidate leans backwards, letting her back touch the metallic railing behind her.

Allowing her legs to give in, the girl gradually slides to the ground, remaining still once touching the cold metal for a few moments.

And then Nepgear gradually directs her gaze upwards, towards the one noticeable light in the heavens shining upon the land beneath.

"..."

Thus, the girl doesn't move any further, sitting on the floor with her legs sprawled. As she watches the view above, her mind attempts to explain the confusing sight from before.

And then, as violet eyes focus on the bright moon in the middle of the dark sky above, a single realization comes to Nepgear.

 _"_ Ah... It's midnight..."

...

...

...

 _'What the goodness just happened?"_

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 _ **Girls are always nonsensical, even if you are one.**_

 **So, after two weeks, this finally was uploaded!**

 **It seems I'm updating once every 14 days, huh...? I honestly wanted the updates to be weekly, but something troublesome always happens, and before I know it the day is over.**

 ***Sigh***

 **Maybe I'm the useless one, huh...?**

 **That said, this is something of an interlude, even if it did provide some important information and development. Some people might not be happy with it, but I just couldn't miss this chance.**

 **Basically, we're never told whether Nepgear has just woken up in the first Basilicom scene. I noticed though, that it's completely viable that she woke up amidst the night, then just closed her eyes and eventually went to sleep again.**

 **Thus, I used that idea to create a scene. In** **this story, her mind was much more troubled than in the game, which led her to step out of her room and eventually meet IF.**

 _ **And we all know that didn't exactly help with her troubles.**_

 **... What do you mean "now explain IF's thoughts"? Figuring that out is up to you people! Nepgear feels confused, and that's how the reader must feel too!**

 **Rest** **assured that I _did_ write IF quite carefully, though. None of her actions were nonsensical for the sake of shock value, there _is_ a meaning hidden in there, and I hope some people can see it. I'd say it's not particularly hard to figure it out, but I'm kind of the writer, so my opinion is obviously biased.**

 **And, with that message out of the way, I believe there is nothing else for me to say.**

 **Until another day, and remember to review! Those are a writer's lifeline, after all!**

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A comfortable sigh escapes Nepgear's lips as she steps out of the bathroom and into the white corridor, clad in nothing but a white towel. Silently, the girl then turns towards the doorway and carefully closes the brown wooden door, doing her best not to cause any unnecessary noise.

She seriously needed that warm bath.

Of course, Nepgear had half a mind to use cold water, just so she could suffer for her uselessness. But then she realized that she seriously _shouldn't_ be having those kinds of thoughts and promptly decided not to go through with that idea.

Her mind truly _is_ quite antagonistic, it seems.

Without a word, Nepgear turns around towards the hallway, intent on returning to her room—

 _'Ah!'_

Only to recoil as she finds a glass filled with what is surely milk being shoved towards her face.

Nepgear blinks.

In front of her is IF, still in the same outfit as before, holding the drink towards the Candidate with one hand while the other grasps a similar glass near her.

Nepgear blinks again.

The brunette smells nice, and her clothes seem considerably less wrinkled than before—another set, the lilac-haired girl realizes. IF also took a bath.

Nepgear blinks once more.

"... Huh?"

At that, a minuscule smirk crosses the brunette's face. "Hey, c'mon, I can't hold it for you forever."

"A-Ah, right." The Candidate gently takes the glass from IF's grasp, allowing the brunette to lower her hand with a satisfied smile. "Thank you...?"

IF simply flashes a small grin before turning around and walking away down the corridor.

Nepgear blinks yet again.

 _'Alright...'_

It's incredible how this only makes things even more confusing.

The lilac-haired girl glances down at her milk. Slowly, she brings it up to her mouth and takes a big gulp—

"G-Guh...!"

Only to regret it a second later as she hastily lowers the glass, bringing her other hand to her mouth.

This is... _horrible_! It's like there's sugar in the milk! It doesn't even _taste_ like milk!

 _There's milk in this sugar!_

Focusing all her willpower on not throwing up this _thing_ she just drank, Nepgear's head snaps towards the direction IF went—

Only to see the brunette standing a few meters away, facing the lilac-haired girl whilst calmly sipping her _undoubtedly untainted drink_ , amusement more than clear in her features.

As soon as the glass leaves her mouth, IF lets out a quiet chuckle, allowing a full-blown cheerful smile to cross her features. " _Good night, Gear_. _Love ya_."

With those words, not even batting an eye at Nepgear's incredulous stare, IF simply walks away and turns around a corner, disappearing from sight.

"..."

And silence overtakes the atmosphere.

Nepgear blinks once again, this time with a groan as she attempts to keep her newfound nausea in check. IF _was_ quite the prankster when she was younger, but didn't she prank only people she didn't like? That means she dislikes the Candidate, right?

Well, she certainly _is_ taking out her frustrations on Nepgear.

Are they foes, then?

But that smile...

Are they comrades?

But her cruel words...

Are they enemies?

But her kind words...

Are they friends?

But the prank...

But... But... But...!

 _'W-What the goodness **are** we?!'_

With a wince, Nepgear brings her free hand to her head, as if to calm her mind somehow.

Sadly, it doesn't do much to combat her internal meltdown.

 _'IF... She... She makes no sense...!'_

"Ugh..." Unfortunately, the girl's thoughts are suddenly interrupted by her own groan, reminding her of her current nauseous state.

Letting out a grunt, the Candidate immediately turns towards the bathroom, opens its door and hastily heads inside it, the contents of the glass in her grasp only barely avoiding being spilled out at the sudden action.

Internal meltdown or not, Nepgear _will_ have to expel something real soon, and she'd rather it not be on the floor.

 _'That prank was just cruel...!'_

And, as the Candidate rushes to the toilet, a simple realization makes itself known in her mind.

The little girl Nepgear once knew was a handful, that's true.

"G-Gah... Too sweet..."

 _But the woman she became is far more troublesome._


	5. To the First Step

Troubled.

Undeniably, _absolutely_ troubled.

As the blonde small fairy hovering on a blue book, her height around a measly single meter, directs her sky blue eyes downwards, towards the floor of one of the many white corridors in the Neptower, that is the simplest way to describe the combination of a pensive expression and a frown she displays.

That is simply natural, however; the story she just heard was anything but calming, after all. As such, it's no surprise that the fairy eventually takes a deep breath, undoubtedly attempting to soothe her own mind, before finally raising her stare towards the girl before her.

"... I see," she speaks in a level voice, her tone not betraying the certain turmoil in her mind. "So you were all beaten by Magic alone and placed in stasis. I certainly did not expect a single person to be so powerful."

"I... I'm so sorry, Histoire..."

"Do not be," the fairy responds in her usual motherly voice. "If her strength was on such a level, there was nothing you could have done."

"Exactly! If I had been as powerful as her—"

"To dwell on different outcomes is pointless," Histoire immediately points out, allowing a minuscule smile to cross her lips. "And, no matter the case, nothing is your fault, Nepgear. When you five went to apprehend ASIC's leader, no one foresaw much attempted resistance against five CPUs, and much less the existence such an unbelievably formidable foe."

"..."

The fairy can't help but sigh at the sight, her lips still tugging upwards. "I understand how you feel, I truly do. But, please, do not lay the blame on yourself. If you must, blame me instead."

"I-I can't! It's not your fault—"

"It is, Nepgear," the fairy calmly cuts her off. "I was the one who convinced you all to head towards that battlefield, as such this whole debacle is my responsibility. And, before you attempt, I shall not listen to your attempts to convince me otherwise."

"... W-What about the Sharicite...?"

That question actually gives Histoire some pause, her expression growing neutral. For a moment, she seems deep in thought, surely in order to seek her next words.

And then, she chuckles.

"To be honest, and I truly mean it, that would also be my fault," the fairy admits, a guilty smile on her features. "I should have ordered IF and Compa to flee the moment Judge appeared. Or, at the very least, when you were freed." At those words, her gaze slowly descends to the ground. "Even if for a moment, I grew far too ignorant and placed each one of you at risk. Between us, the one who deserves all blame is me."

"That's not true—"

"It is," Histoire calmly insists as she meets the girl's stare, her level tone somehow coming resolute. "So, please, do not allow yourself to be filled with guilt."

"That's... so easy to say..."

The fairy simply nods in response. "I am aware of that, but I still ask that you attempt to do so."

"... I'll try..."

At that, a satisfied expression crosses Histoire's doll-like face. "Thank you, Nepgear. Now..."

Suddenly, as if the prior conversation never took place, the fairy shoots the girl a chiding look. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Huh?" The Candidate blinks at the strange question, shooting the fairy a questioning gaze with her half-open, bloodshot eyes. "What do you mean?"

Histoire returns the look with a frown. "Nepgear, it is _five in the morning_."

The lilac-haired girl doesn't respond immediately, her blank stare washing over the blonde fairy for a few moments.

And then, it clicks.

"Ah, it really is pretty early."

... Or not.

Histoire lets out a sigh, shooting the girl a tired look. "Nepgear, listen... You simply walked to me and began your tale unprompted, no?"

The girl nods. "Yes...?"

"And it feels difficult to maintain your eyes opened, am I correct?"

She nods again.

"You are also slightly slumped forward, as if falling to your own weight."

For a third time she nods.

"Heavens, you are moving slightly back and forth while _standing still_!"

A moment passes... and she nods once more.

"Do you understand what is wrong, then?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Nepgear blinks. "Huh?"

 _'For the love of—'_

"Nepgear..." Histoire begins, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "It is _dawn_ , I should be the only one awake at this hour, and, honestly, you look _dead_." The girl winces. "I noticed yesterday when your link to the Sharicite grew stronger, I am completely aware that your coma came to an end last night. So _why_ are you not sleeping?"

"... Ah." Just like that, a flash of recognition goes through the Candidate's face, as if she had been expecting such a question. "Um, you see, Histoire, after I woke up from my... coma, I guess, it felt... difficult to sleep again."

The fairy raises an unamused eyebrow. "And so you decided to walk around the Basilicom until morning came, even as your biological clock was being slowly normalized?"

The girl shoots her a bashful smile. "... Yes?"

"..."

Histoire's frown wavers, only an incredible amount of willpower preventing the fairy from burying a hand in her face.

Tiredness shut off Nepgear's mind. There is no other possibility.

The fairy takes yet another deep breath—an action dangerously close to becoming constant in her daily life—stares deep into the Candidate's amethyst eyes with the most serious of gazes and lets out from her small mouth four simple words.

"Go to your room."

...

...

...

"... Huh?" Nepgear actually perks up at that. "W-Wait, Histoire did you just say—"

"Go to your room," the fairy calmly repeats. "Nepgear, now."

"B-But, Hist—"

" _Nepgear, to your room._ "

The Candidate's mouth opens and closes several times, the girl searching for some sort of reply to that, even as the stare sent her way doesn't help in the slightest.

"Awwww..."

She seemingly gives up soon enough, however, her shoulders slumping even further. For the moment which follows, the fairy simply stares at the crestfallen girl, fully expecting her to see reason and comply any second now, just as she has done innumerable times before.

 _'Nepgear has always been a good child, after all. I am sure she understands why she should rest more—'_

It's then that the thoughtful, educated girl starts _pouting_.

 _'... Huh?_

Not even batting an eye at Histoire's disbelieving stare, Nepgear averts her drowsy yet narrowed eyes towards a wall, crossing her arms before letting out an indignant huff.

 _'Huh?!'_

And then, she opens her mouth, letting out a single phrase for the fairy to hear.

"... You never sent Neptune to our room..."

...

...

...

Histoire's eye twitches.

 _'This has to be a joke.'_

The fairy closes her eyes, taking several breaths to keep her temper in check. She's _tired_ , _overworked_ , technically _underpaid_ for all she goes through to keep this nation continually _not on fire_ and, to top it off, _there is currently blood in her caffeine stream_ ; the _last thing_ she needs is going through the shame of blowing up in front of a girl she essentially raised.

Of course, Nepgear isn't helping much by revealing her newfound ability to be _extremely annoying_ when drowsy, but it's not as if Histoire can do anything about it.

... Wait.

Sky blue eyes snap open, focusing on the pouting Candidate. Slowly, the small blonde raises her palm towards Nepgear.

That's when it happens.

"K-KYA?!" the girl lets out a startled yelp as she suddenly grows rigid, as if made of stone. "Hi-Histoire? What are you—Ah!" Then, without her consent, Nepgear's frozen body begins moving, slowly turning around and walking away. "W-Wait, this feels funny! That's not a good thing! Please, Histoire, I can walk on my own! Histoire?! Histoire!"

"..."

Even as the Candidate turns around a corner and disappears from sight, her voice continues to traverse the white hallways, calling out to Histoire nonstop.

The fairy can only shake her head in exasperation, silently thanking the True Goddess that there are no other living quarters nearby. It wouldn't be particularly nice to deal with disgruntled employees woken up by this ruckus.

Thankfully, both IF and Compa are heavy sleepers. Unfortunately, that's likely due to daily exhaustion, but even so that means they are probably still dreaming at this moment.

In a different, slightly better world, so would be Nepgear.

 _'Honestly... She should not be wasting sleeping hours like that.'_

Histoire should be the only one exhausting herself, because she's both the Oracle and a _synthetic fairy with outstanding capabilities—_ nevermind how even _she_ of all people feels tired of the rollercoaster her life has become. Nepgear, on the other hand, should have been focusing on _resting_ instead of pulling an all-nighter on a whim.

The last thing any proper worker in this Basilicom wants is the recently rescued Candidate getting herself bedridden for no reason.

 _'I can only hope this does not happen again...'_

Letting out a long sigh, the small fairy lowers her hand and turns around, intent on making her way to her office and dealing with the morning paperwork...

 _'W-Wha—'_

Only to freeze at the sight before her.

"... Ah." IF, for her part, only has surprise appear in her half-open, bloodshot eyes for a moment, weakly raising a hand to greet the fairy an instant later. "Hey, Histoire... Good morning..."

"..."

 _'It is... dawn...'_

The fairy doesn't respond vocally, however, instead staring at the tired brunette with noticeably widened eyes as her mind seeks an explanation.

For IF to have been startled awake by the noise was a possibility, yes. But that is _not_ the face of someone who has just woken up.

Instead, it's exactly like...

"So, um... We still got some coffee, right?" IF doesn't seem to notice Histoire's disbelieving gaze, slowly approaching the blonde fairy with a bashful smile and tired, swaying steps. "I, uh, didn't get a wink of sleep last night, had too much to think about... so I really need some."

"..."

 _'... That settles it.'_

Without a word, Histoire raises her palm.

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 ***Chapter 3***

 **To the First Step**

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Lively chatter through the massive crowd, the sounds of passing cars, the hot sunlight of a day nearing its middle.

In the brisk atmosphere of this Planeptunian avenue, no one dares to stop moving for a moment, all entranced by their own problems as they go on about their lives. As the citizens walk along the white sidewalk, ignoring the digital announcements covering the walls of every store, and drive through the similarly colored street, loud car horns signaling each extinguished patience, apathy is all which can be felt amidst the busy masses.

It's in such an atmosphere, people say, that the most interesting happenings can be spotted.

On that metallic bench, for example, a small panda wearing a green nightcap sits, hugging a white pillow while sleeping peacefully despite the loud noises. As it dreams, several images appear and fade around it, sketches of flowers, cats, people and anything its unconscious whims pick.

Meanwhile, above the crowds, a single grinning girl, clad in simple black jeans, an orange T-shirt, a pair of noticeably big headphones and seemingly opaque green googles, dashes across the metallic rooftops with a pair of rollerblades, her long, brown hair blowing with the wind as she performs all sorts of ludicrous tricks. A can of purple paint spray in hand, the girl never misses a chance to draw on a passing wall, sometimes not even bothering to halt as she uses the buildings as her canvas.

As that happens, yet another girl runs through the rooftops on the other side of the street, this one a blunette trailed by her long ponytail, wearing large golden rings on both wrists and ankles, a pair of blue shorts and a similarly colored short dress which was likely meant to be used alone. As her red sneakers touch metal, azure eyes are always focused on the rollerblader who doesn't even glance back, both girls engaged in some sort of race as far as the blunette is concerned.

In the meantime, the somewhat less interesting people beneath rush madly to their next appointments, each one transversing the difficult maze of life to the best of their abilities.

Amidst such a scene where both the usual and the unusual cross paths, it's no surprise that all involved are only focused on their own troubles. As such, not a single individual does as much as look at a particular trio of girls walking amidst the crowds.

"Seriously, she just forced us to go to bed and then _froze_ us until we fell asleep! There's no way she _didn't_ overdo it! I couldn't _even_ get enough hours of sleep with that spell in place, so what _was_ the point?!"

The first girl, walking slightly ahead of the other two as she loudly complains amidst the city's noise, is a brunette wearing a dark outfit beneath a noticeably oversized blue coat. Her face seems to exude nothing but annoyance as she stomps forward through the crowds.

"U-Um, it _was_ our fault, but... I can't help but kind of agree with that..."

Trailing behind to the brunette's right is the second one, a lilac-haired girl clad in a school uniform-like white dress. She has uncertainty written all across her features as she walks, and her hands clasped behind her back only heighten the noticeability of that feeling.

"Iffy and Ge-Ge are being too rebellious... Missing your sleeping time is bad, you both! Especially for Ge-Ge!"

Right next to her, to the left of the brunette ahead, is a peach-haired girl wearing a similarly colored sweater. A big frown mars her expression as she looks between her two uncharacteristically unforgiving friends with clear disappointment in her eyes.

IF scoffs at that, not even glancing at her friend. "Compa, you're just saying that because Histoire didn't turn _you_ into a puppet."

"Y-Yeah..." Nepgear hesitantly nods, slightly doubtful violet orbs meeting Compa's beside her. "I know it's not fair to Histoire feeling like this, but... it felt _horrible_ to move around without meaning to..."

Although it's not nice to blame the punisher for the punishment, she can't help but think of that as... _incredibly_ excessive, and that might even be an understatement.

"Even so..." Compa's disappointed stare visibly falters, even as her frown remains firmly in place. "I don't think she was wrong..."

"Because she wasn't," IF concedes from ahead, her voice still coming filled with frustration. "If we hadn't pulled that stupid all-nighter, we could have gone questing way earlier!" Following that, the girl lets out a huff of frustration. "... But that doesn't mean I _liked_ being controlled. Simple as that."

Once again the lilac-haired girl nods, this time less hesitantly. "Goodness, it felt like there were walls encasing my body..."

Seriously, Nepgear had a hard time _breathing_ for who knows how long when she was paralyzed in her bed! Honestly, she may have become a claustrophobic from that experience alone...

Which means one more thing for her useless self to be afraid of. How positively _grand_.

...

 _'What the goodness...'_

How come her self-deprecating mind has such a snarky tone?

"But... that still feels wrong..." the nurse quietly murmurs as she directs her eyes forward.

"Then me and Gear will be wrong together!" the brunette declares as she shoots the frowning Compa a resolute look, making the Candidate jolt in place at her sudden mention.

 _'G-Goodness...?! Where did that come from?'_

The nurse, meanwhile, doesn't even seem surprised at that, simply deepening her frown. "... Meanie..."

"... Whatever you say, Comps." It's then that IF's expression softens before she once again stares forward, not exactly eager to bump into someone. "With that out of the way, you girls think we should pick up the pace? That _might_ screw us over since the crowd is stupidly thick, but we already took too long to reach the Guild."

"..." "..."

For a long while, neither girl responds, both staring quizzically at their supposed leader as they continue to walk.

"... Are you both still there?" the brunette eventually asks, throwing a quick look back. "I kinda made a question, you guys."

The two other party members exchange worried glances for a moment, several messages being sent from one to the other by their eyes alone.

 _'Maybe you should tell her...?'_

 _'I-I think Ge-Ge should.'_

 _'Goodness, but she doesn't even like me anymore! ... Probably.'_

 _'I don't wanna say it, either...'_

 _'Please...!'_

 _'... Fine. But Ge-Ge owes me one!'_

With that, Compa directs her eyes towards IF, now staring confusedly at the two girls. "Um, Iffy... we're going to the Guild? I thought you had a quest ready already?"

"Finally answered, huh...? As for that, well, I wish," the brunette dejectedly responds as she once turns her head forward, a frown marring her features. "Honestly, I kind of messed up by doing a good job and my quest log is totally empty, so we'll have to register a new quest. I just hope there's still something good at this hour."

As she says that, the other two girls exchange glances once again, this time more frantic than before.

 _'T-This is bad, Ge-Ge... Can you please follow up...? I-I think I'm panicking too much to continue...'_

 _'But, Compa...'_

 _'Preeeetty pleeeeease...? I'm desperate, Ge-Ge! I'll even help you, but... pleeeeease, talk fiiiiirst...!'_

 _'I don't think I—'_

 _'Ge-Ge owes me one!'_

 _'... G-Got it.'_

Letting out a sigh, the brunette continues. "Thankfully, it's not _that_ late yet since we've only been walking for fifteen minutes. And, even though we can't really see almost anything with this bunch of people around us, I'm pretty sure the Guild is just some blocks away—"

"Um, IF..." the Candidate meekly speaks up, uncertainty clear in her voice. "I-I'm pretty sure we already walked by the Guild..."

"T-Twenty minutes ago, Iffy..." Compa hesitantly adds, checking the watch hidden under her left sleeve. "And we headed out _forty_ minutes ago..."

"—to the other direction, says the stupid brunette who didn't get sleep," IF casually continues before suddenly halting, turning around and yanking both girls girls by their arms, eliciting a pair of startled yelps. "Which means we should _really_ pick up the pace, because I'm an official rookie agent, I'm on a timetable for contribution and I think I just screwed up royally."

With that, just as the crowd begins shifting to move around the girls, IF doesn't waste time in hastily heading off towards the Guild, forcefully pulling along both girls behind her.

Much to their displeasure, of course.

"Ho-Hold on, IF, we'll fall! We'll trip and fall like this!" "I-Iffy, please, my arm is hurting! Stop this!"

"My job is objectively more important than your well-being!" the brunette frantically declares as she quickens her pace even further. "Really, you guys can complain when you actually _have_ jobs, technically unemployed and nurse-in-training! Now run faster and keep up!'

"H-How cruel..." "So horrible...!"

True to her words, IF continues to raise her speed. Blocks go by, the crowd never really thins, and yet the brunette doesn't stop running, never letting go of the other two girls as she advances.

As for said girls, well...

"I-I need to... rest..! Seriously... my stamina... it's terrible, IF... _Terrible_!" "Iffy, you're going to tear off my arm! I don't think I can patch that up with bandaaaages!"

... The pain and distress will surely remain in their memories.

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

The Guild, just as its name... well, sort of but doesn't exactly implies, is an international organization which deals with several highly important matters, from espionage and political sabotages to the submission and distribution of quests, serving as a middleman of sorts when discounting the rare cases in which its leaders themselves submit missions.

It is through the Guild that most warriors find relatively easy ways of making money, either as simple freelancers or as official agents, the latter of which also receive a salary apart from the quest rewards themselves.

As such, it's no wonder that this particular room of the fifth Planeptunian installation, much like all the others, is rife with expensive technology: holographic columns are placed across the area, showing usual news and extraordinary notices alike, and similarly artificial screens can be easily spotted above several terminals; to top it off, simple yet definitely costly screens are placed on certain parts of the room's walls, lined up from the floor all the way to the ceiling as they display rankings, events and such.

All in all, the interior of the Guild's building is the expensive kind which is able to look futuristic even amidst Planeptune.

And that's clearly something IF likes about it, if the way she smiles as her eyes dart around the room filled with parties of adventurers means anything.

"Alright, we're finally here," the brunette declares before turning around to address the other two. "Let's... go..." Only to trail off at the sight which greets her.

"Ouchie..." Compa doesn't even seem to register those words as she rubs her arm, wincing each time her hand touches a particular spot. "Geez, I almost had to say bye-bye to my dear arm..."

"Just... a moment..." Nepgear desperately begs as she stares at the brunette from her place on the metallic floor, expression filled with tiredness and something akin to grief as she clearly struggles to do as much as breath. "Is... the world... growing darker...?"

"..."

Just like that, IF's smile disappears, instantly replaced by a frown. "Are you guys serious...?"

The nurse stops her rubbing for a moment to stare at the brunette... and then proceeds to pout.

As for the other girl...

"Not... again... Not... like this..."

... She still doesn't seem particularly well.

IF lets out a long sigh, bringing a hand to her forehead as if to alleviate her disappointment. "Seriously, I expected this of Gear, but even _you,_ Compa?"

"How... very... cruel..." the fallen Candidate wheezes out, still attempting to control her breathing.

That earns her a flat look from the brunette. "Shut up and breathe, Gear."

Nepgear can't even find it in herself to wince, her ragged breaths slowly losing their pace. "Very... _very_... cruel..."

The nurse, now back to rubbing her arm, nods as she continues to pout. "Iffy is really, _really_ mean..."

"..."

And IF still finds herself clearly unamused by the scene.

Crossing her arms, the brunette proceeds to stare—or more specifically _glare—_ at who she probably sees as the pair of idiots which form her party, one of which can't seem to expel the air in her mouth while the other can't seem to do so correctly.

"..."

"..."

"Oh... my... goodness..."

"..."

"..."

"This... feels _horrible_..."

"..."

"..."

"Almost... there..."

"..."

"..."

"... I think I'm alright now" Nepgear eventually declares as she carefully raises to her feet, bobbling a bit before regaining her balance and looking at the obviously irritated IF with a bashful smile. "Yeah... A bit light-headed... but I feel good enough."

" _Thank you_!" Following that, the brunette then turns around. "Now, get in line and follow me. We already lost enough time."

With that, IF immediately begins walking towards the opposite side of the room, with both Nepgear and the still pouting Compa right behind her. As they do so, the Candidate can't help but let her eyes wander around the place.

This is her first time in the Guild, after all; it's no surprise that she feels some slight, undoubtedly fleeting awe at it. Everything looks so professional: the holograms, the several parties of warriors discussing around the big room, the... big counter with attendants to their right they're pretty much ignoring?

Nepgear blinks in confusion. Wouldn't that be where adventurers take quests?

... Well, it clearly isn't if they're not walking there. Maybe it's to submit quests instead? Or perhaps a customer service to deal with problems.

Eventually, the Candidate simply shrugs. It's not as if that's important right now.

Her scouting done, the girl then proceeds to direct her eyes forw—

 _'Wait.'_

Just an instant after starting its turning motion, her head stops in place.

The girl's eyes widen in an instant, breath hitching in her throat as her instincts all scream that _something_ is wrong.

And she knows exactly what it was.

That party over there, the one with the black-haired, ponytailed man wearing black silk... Were they...?

Hastily, not wasting a single second, the girl turns to the other side, her violet eyes suddenly washing over several parties at once.

And her eyes only widen even further at what she notices.

 _'Nervousness, sudden head movements, people staring at each other but not saying anything, obvious effort not look at something.'_

After all she went through, after fighting _so many times_ against Magic and attempting to follow her movements, it's now possible for her to spot those kinds of things, albeit superficially and on an amateurish level.

It is still far beyond what her original self could, however, and just about enough to see that _they were staring at her._

 _'But... that doesn't make sense.'_

That means they recognized her, obviously. That in itself is not unusual; after all, unlike the other CPUs, she can't exactly hide her identity when her appearance doesn't even change while in HDD.

What _is_ unusual, however, are those reactions. They're not smiling at her, nor calling out to their CPU Candidate. Instead, it's as if they are _willfully ignoring_ _her_ , as if they feel it's wrong to _look at he_ r, as if...

 _As if there is something wrong_ **_with_ _her_**.

The girl instinctively balls her fists, preparing herself to summon her sword on a moment's notice. This is wrong. _Horribly wrong_.

 _'What's going on here...?'_

That's when Nepgear hears them.

Quiet murmurs, almost unnoticeable, going through the room. Words thrown around silently, as if conspiratorial in their entirely. Chatter she can't possibly understand from where she is.

Most of it, at least.

 _"...looks different..." "I thought... hated... white...?" "Is she... really... then?" "... can't... Nep..." "That... impossible..." "But... acting weird..." "Did... decide... cosplay...?"_

"..."

Those snippets only make everything feel more eerie.

"And here we are," IF suddenly announces, breaking the Candidate from her thoughts as she halts next to Compa and directs her sight forward.

The brunette is now turned towards them with a blank expression on her face, while behind her, lined up along the big wall, are several of the same machine, each one bearing the appearance of a modern gray ATM. A few glances left and right reveal that there are a dozen adventurers standing right in front of some machines, no doubt using them, although what for is the real question.

"Now, hand me your N-Gear," IF suddenly requests, her face growing less unamused and more neutral by the second. "We don't have all day, y'know."

At the request coming out of nowhere, Nepgear can't help but raise a quizzical eyebrow at the girl before her, unsure of what she's asking for. It's only a moment later that realization crosses her features, the girl finally remembering the gift Histoire handed her before shooing them away to resume her work.

 _'I feel so bad for her. Paperwork is such a chore...'_

Sadly, the fairy was strongly against having the Candidate help her, mentioning that Nepgear should worry about more important things.

And that only made her feel more useless, of course.

Dispelling those thoughts for the time being, the girl reaches for her newly obtained black rectangular holster strapped around her right thigh, taking out a purple device somewhat similar to one of Lastation's portables and holding it towards IF. "It's here, but... why?"

At that, a slight smile crosses the brunette's lips as she takes the N-Gear. "You'll see." Without another word, IF then turns towards the closest machine and proceeds to reach for something on its side, pulling from it a thin black cable and connecting it to the entrance in the portable's side. "You _did_ synchronize it with your mana after making a Guild account, right?"

"I did." Nepgear nods. It was strange process, she never really had to _coat a device in her mana_ , period. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, why was that necessary?"

"So that the Guild doesn't need to waste manpower and send an official to oversee all elimination quests," the brunette responds as she starts fiddling with the N-Gear. "It registers when a particular monster's mana is absorbed by the user. Somehow, that is." Following that, she simply shrugs dismissively. "I don't really get how it works, they don't exactly announce that sort of thing, but, hey, it works."

"Oh, and it shares mana between the whole party!" the nurse cheerfully adds, her earlier pouting completely forgotten. "I also have no idea how it works, but shared Experience makes everyone very happy, so everything is alright!"

"..."

That is no excuse for ignorance, Nepgear silently muses as she eyes the N-Gear with interest. Thus, she shall buy another one of these advanced devices she never saw before this day as soon as possible, dismantle it and uncover its secrets herself.

 _... For science._

"Let's see..." IF mumbles to herself as she inspects the menu in the N-Gear. "Only one low-ranked quest today, huh...? Ah, no matter. Downloaded and accepted. Party, already formed and connected, so nothing out of place there. Leader, me, obviously. Profile, weapon of choice, style description... Alright, everything checks."

The brunette unplugs the cable from the N-Gear, placing it in the ineffectual plug by the side of the machine, before turning around and offering the device to the Candidate with a minuscule smile. "No bugs whatsoever, at least not one spotted."

"Ah, thank you." The girl takes the N-Gear and places it back in her holster before shooting IF a quizzical look. "So... what should we do now?"

For some reason, the smirk which crosses the brunette's face almost sends a shiver down her spine. "It's really simple. Compa, Gear..." IF glances at both girls, receiving back a pair of confused looks as her so-called smile widens. "This... is an E-rank quest. _We're going to hunt some wild dogoos in Virtua_."

...

 ***Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap***

It doesn't take long for Compa to begin lightly clapping at that delivery, a look of awe clear in her features.

Nepgear, meanwhile, can only blink at the smirking brunette. Seriously, why did IF say it so dramatically like that?

 _'I mean, it sounded good, but... dogoos? Aren't they those weak slimes? And Virtua is... that forest, right? Even for me, this quest sounds easy...'_

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

 _'This quest is **impossible**!'_

That's the one thought running through Nepgear's mind as she dodges slime after slime in the grassy plains in the outskirts of Virtua Forest.

"Gear, _right_!"

In that instant, the girl leans right—

"Dogooo!" ***SPLASH***

"AH!"

—only to be hit in the by the side of her head by a cold slimy tackle.

"I meant that it was _coming_ from your right!" IF shouts as Nepgear hastily swats the dogoo away.

"Then _specify_ , please!" the Candidate panickedly shouts back as she slashes at an incoming flying dogoo with her pink laser triangular blade, not cutting but sending its body careening to the grass nearby. Just as she tightens her stance, however, yet another one of the _horde surrounding her_ leaps forward, prompting yet another attempt at a homerun from Nepgear. "Goodness, why is this _so hard_?!"

" _G_ _oodness_ , _how are you so weak_?!" the brunette's both mocking and disbelieving voice reaches the girl from somewhere nearby—she's _not_ going to look for her distractedly while near all these slimes. "Aren't you a CPU?! Just go HDD!"

"I... can't!"

"Why? Are you _afraid_?!" IF asks exasperatedly. "Do I need to kiss you or something?!"

" _What_? Goodness, I'm not afraid!" Nepgear shouts back, ducking under yet another ballistic dogoo. Seriously, after all she went through, she won't be scared by _dogoos_. She _can_ activate HDD just fine, seriously! "But they'll just attack me and cancel the transformation from this close!" Sidestepping and punching another flying slime in the face, the girl blinks. "And... why a kiss?"

"Ah, Shares can be transferred like that, Ge-Ge! It's not a big amount, though!" Compa helpfully explains from the background at the sound of... _are those the sounds of a rifle_? "Sucking blood does that too, but it's creepy!"

... Now _that's_ news.

"That's... nice?" Nepgear comments as she kicks a slime away. It feels a bit bad... but so does she when they manage to hit her. "How did you guys find out about it, anyway?"

"I studied it!" the nurse cheerfully responds from somewhere in the battlefield.

"That's right! So did I, Gear—"

"Iffy learned about it when she smooched Nep-Nep once!"

Nepgear actually freezes at that. "Wait, _wha—_ Ah!" Only for a dogoo incoming from the side to hit her right in the N-Gear's holster.

Fortunately, her mana protection extends to accessories, meaning the device is mostly safe for as long as she has HP.

Unfortunately, physics is a thing, and next thing the lilac-haired girl knows the side of her head is firmly planted on grass.

 _'Goodness, goodness, goodness, goodness—'_

"I-It wasn't like that, Gear!" the brunette panickedly insists as Nepgear desperately rolls to the side, evading several dogoos as they jump at her fallen form in an attempt to swarm her. "We were in a dungeon, we got surrounded, there was this giant insect, Nep got a bit scared and couldn't HDD and there was this one series I watched—" as she rambles on and on, the Candidate scrambles to her feet—

"Dog!"

"?!"

Suddenly, it's as if time itself slows down.

There is now a slime on the air right in front of her, a mere second away from impact.

Nepgear's stance isn't ready, her sword is lowered by her side as she has just gotten up. That's it, there is no way to avoid a hit to the face.

... Or so would be the case, had she been a normal girl.

A CPU has many additional qualities when compared with to anyone else, and HDD is simply one of them. Reflexes, strength, intelligence... All range from slightly better to vastly superior to a usual Gamindustrian's traits.

Nepgear's main focus is intelligence, and not the magic kind; her other characteristics, although none particularly bad, are mostly ordinary.

Save for her reflexes, that is.

 _They are reasonably improved._

As such, in the split-second before the dogoo reaches her, Nepgear's free hand moves. In a movement that feels strangely satisfying for the girl, she _slaps_ the monster as hard as possible.

An instant later, its body deformates, as is expected of a slime.

Two instants later, it is suddenly sent flying far away, hitting a nearby lonely tree at full force and being _torn apart_ in a shower of blue slime.

The Candidate can't help but wince as the second and considerably noisier slapping sound comes.

 _'It seems that one's HP was already low... Goodness...'_

With that done, her senses return to normal, resuming the fight as Nepgear brings down her sword to stab another monster near her feet.

"—look, it didn't mean anything, alright?! I was a kid, _a kid_ for God's sake! Hell, why did you suddenly tell her about that, Compa?! Even _Nep_ kept silent!"

"I decided we have to be honest with Ge-Ge from now on!"

"Dammit, Compa, that makes _absolutely no sense_ after all these years—"

An overhead slash, a block, a step back. No matter how she looks at it, the lilac-haired girl is fighting completely defensively, and still having trouble at doing that.

 _Against slimes._

As she kicks one of them away, a sigh escapes Nepgear's lips. Now this is just a whole new level of uselessness.

"—I mean, why are we even talking about it during a fight?!" IF eventually asks exasperatedly, shouting as loud as possible as if to make her point clear. "Let's just focus on these damn dogoos for now!"

 _'Oh, thank goodness.'_

Honestly, Nepgear was five minutes away from _screaming_ at the brunette for the needless distraction.

The fact that IF kissed Neptune is certainly something the Candidate will have to talk to her about. _Later_. _When they're not fighting a horde of monsters_.

"Dog! Goo!"

"...!"

Hastily, violet eyes point downwards, just as an unnoticed dogoo near the girl shoots itself towards her.

Not even her reflexes could have dealt with it at this proximity.

A startled yelp sounds as the monster hits her right hand, sending it upwards as her laser sword escapes from her grasp.

 _'N-Not now!'_

The girl instinctively takes a step back, the dogoo still in front of her and her stance entirely broken.

If she doesn't do anything _right now_ , the fight is lost.

 _'...!'_

In a split-second she decides to act, her left hand forming a fist as she prepares to punch the slime before it even touches the ground. And then, just as her left arm recoils before the attack...

"Dogoo!" "AH!"

A second slime doesn't waste its chance to tackle her back, violently pushing her towards the first monster. Panickedly, just as her chest touches the dogoo, Nepgear places a foot forward, stomping the grass beneath and regaining her balance at the last moments.

Half a second later she realizes it, however.

Something is weighing her down, a few kilograms suddenly added to her.

 _The two dogoos are sticking to her_.

 _'No...!'_

This is bad.

This is _horrible_.

If it took all she had just to _defend_ against the horde before, now her victory is _outright_ _impossible_.

 ***SPLASH*** "UGH!"

A second passes, and a dogoo tackles Nepgear's stomach _hard_ , knocking the wind out of her before gluing itself to her.

 ***SPLASH*** "GAH!"

Then comes another from the front, knocking her legs out from beneath as it passes through and forcing her to kneel.

 ***SPLASH*** "KUH!"

Yet another dogoo hits her in the back of her head, throwing her senses in disarray as she falls forward, only her hands keeping her face from reaching the grass.

 ***SPLASH*** "A-AH!"

Which means nothing as a dogoo hits her side, just below the ribs, as strongly as possible, sending the girl to the ground instantly.

 ***SPLASH*** "...!"

And then, just as the panicked girl feared, a slime tackles her directly in her face, holding onto her with all its strength.

"MMPH?! MMPH!"

Her whole body hurts, her level not high enough to shrug off the earlier blows. Her left arm is enveloped by a cold feeling, and then her right arm. Next are her legs, and the rest of her back. Her vision is blocked, the dogoo on her face holding her eyes closed. Her hearing is useless, the slime wrapping itself around her head.

Her sense of smell is gone.

 _As is her ability to breathe._

 _'No...'_

Nepgear attempts to move her head, arms, legs, _anything_. And yet, nothing budges, her whole body held in place by the cold slime around it. It's _terrifyingly constricting_ , the hold on the girl's body _tightening_ slightly at each one of her movements, as if to convince her that, no matter what she foes, it's all futile.

And Nepgear is starting to believe that.

 _'This... can't be happening...!'_

The girl attempts to thrash around, her desperation growing with each passing second, but that results in nothing but a stronger hold as the monsters simply keep squeezing her body. Although what is about to happen is glaringly obvious, it's only when the slime around her neck begins to tighten that the reality of the situation hits Nepgear.

She'll die once more.

 _'No, no, no, no, no...!'_

Even though she tries to fight back, even though she does her damnedest to survive, refusing to stop her struggles even as her body grows weary, nothing she does is enough. The slimy walls around her are _stronger_ , after all, far more than the girl herself.

Because she's _weak_ , her actions are not nearly enough to grant her the right to survive.

 _'I... don't want... to feel it...'_

Little by little, her body grows weary, finally reaching its limits without a source of oxygen.

As a CPU, such a thing won't cause brain damage as it should.

As an aerobic living being, such a thing will _kill_ _her_ anyway.

 _'I... Please...'_

Consciousness starts fading. Sensations grow numb.

There is no doubt now.

It's all over for her.

 _'I... don't want...'_

...

...

...

 _'... to die... again...'_

...

...

...

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

...

...

...

 _'What...?'_

...

...

...

 _'I'm... not in the void...?'_

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _'Why? I... died... Right?'_

...

...

...

 _'Weird... I shouldn't, but... I feel... tired and...'_

"... believe... went so wrong..."

"Dammit... _course..._ wrong! I... being... blind idiot... didn't see it!"

 _'... Wait.'_

"I didn't... coming too..."

"Yeah, but... your idea either... And... _incredible idea..._ near lunchtime! It... _obvious..._ dogoos would all focus on us with almost no people around this place!"

 _'Huh...?'_

"Still, I don't think it's your fault..."

"... Well, at least we completed the quest. My job is safe now."

 _'Those are... voices?'_

"I-Iffy?! Now that's just horrible! I'd be surprised if Ge-Ge wasn't traumatized, and you're talking about _that_?!"

"I'm just saying! B-Besides, we already saved her, so..."

 _'IF...? Compa?'_

"I know you don't like Ge-Ge very much, but this is going far too far... It's like everything is alright as long as she's breathing..."

"Seriously, I didn't mean it like that—Hey, she's waking up!"

With a groan, violet eyes slowly crack open, only to see nothing but blurred colors. Blinking repeatedly, her vision starts to make sense as the sensations come back.

She's lying on the grass, and before her are the branches and leaves of the tree whose shade she finds herself under. On the corner of her vision, she can clearly see the bright blue sky, signaling that she hasn't been out for long.

And, of course, seated by both her sides are her two party members, the brunette on her right and the peach-haired girl on her left. Both are staring at her expectantly, clearly expecting something, perhaps a reaction from Nepgear.

Instead, the Candidate simply blinks as she stares blankly at IF in particular, for no real reason, while her mind processes whatever happened.

Even amidst her tired confusion, however, there is one thing that is obvious for Nepgear.

She's alive.

 _She's alive._

 _ **She's alive**._

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Needless to say, the atmosphere becomes a tad awkward with all the silence.

Eventually, IF lightly coughs in her hand, a clear attempt to break the ice, before adopting a hesitant expression. "So, um, how do you feel?"

"... Alive."

"Huh?" "Eh?!" Both girls seem to jolt in surprise at that, with the brunette in particular following up with an easy smile. "Are you... trying to be _snarky_ , Gear?"

"..."

Not... really, she was just mumbling to herself about how she's actually alive and not, well, _dead_ as expected. She doesn't feel the need to make a fuss about it, but... it's still _amazing_.

... However, IF seems amused by that notion, so why not?

"Geez..." Compa lets out a long sigh of relief, allowing a full-blown smile to reach her lips as she raises from the grass. "And here I was worrying about Ge-Ge..."

"Hey, now, she wouldn't die from that alone," the brunette begins as she stands up, flashing a smirk just as she holds a hand towards the Candidate. "This girl is seriously like a roach."

"A... roach?" Nepgear mumbles quizzically, eliciting a chuckle from IF.

"Yep. A roach," the brunette cheerfully repeats. "Because you're as pathetic, sad and hard to kill as one."

Nepgear blinks.

 _'Now that's just mean... And one of those is wrong.'_

Still, as long as saying that sort of stuff makes her happy...

Hesitantly taking IF's hand, the lilac-haired girl is then pulled to her feet, letting go just as she manages to get a footing before shooting the brunette a bashful look. "T-Thanks..."

"Don't mention it, roach," the brunette replies with a slight smile, even as the other girl visibly winces. Is that seriously going to stick, now? "We should probably head back before you find other ways of almost dying, though."

"Yeah!" Compa nods eagerly at that. "Ge-Ge should really rest now. That was scary..."

"..."

Nepgear doesn't reply, instead letting out a soft sigh as a deep frown mars her features.

Her first near-death experience... It was as horrifying as her actual death experiences, if not _more_. As a matter of fact, it still feels unreal that she was able to survive that, especially since she was _certain_ she'd die and go back to that void.

"... I don't think I'm very fond of dogoos now..." the Candidate mutters just loud enough for the other girls to hear. "I didn't imagine they'd be so... scary..."

"But it's not their fault, Ge-Ge..." Compa points out, eyes becoming noticeably downcast as Nepgear glances quizzically at her. "Ever since the CPUs disappeared, a lot of monsters went mad..."

"There were always violent monsters, but now they're just insane," IF adds with a troubled frown, crossing her arms as the Candidate looks at her. "We're pretty sure it has something to do with that Deity of Sin. Seriously, all the problems come from a single source..."

So it all goes back to ASIC in the end, huh...?

And to think Nepgear could have prevented all this if she had more power...

 _'That's right, I...'_

"Well, with that out of the way, let's go," IF suddenly says just as she begins walking away at a calm pace. "Seriously, we already wasted enough time just standing around and talking here."

"Ah—Wait!" Compa calls out to the brunette as she runs up to her. "Iffy, you can't just walk away out of nowhere like that..."

"Hm? Why not?"

"Geez..."

"..."

It would be then that Nepgear would call out to the two girls for being left behind. It would be then that she would dash towards them, undoubtedly making the same complaints as the nurse in the process. It would be then that she'd catch up to them and they'd all walk back to Planeptune, conversing all along the way.

But, instead, the girl stays still, watching their backs as they walk away, something between regret and frustration written on her face.

"... I failed."

That's what she says, because that's what she did.

"They saved me because I failed..."

A long sigh of frustration sounds through the grassy plains. Today was a massive _failure_ , nothing more than that.

Nepgear couldn't do as much as defeat one the weakest species around, instead being nearly _killed_ by a bunch of them. To top it off, she didn't even as much as _try_ telling everyone about her ability the whole day, all because she's scared of revealing something like that.

 _"Hey, I can go back in time if I die!"_

Magic is one thing, but how would anyone react to being told _that_?!

 _'... Then again, I might just be a coward.'_

That certainly doesn't sound wrong right now...

Point is, her general list of accomplishments is honestly _a joke_ , what with being full of _failures_.

Nepgear failed to defend the CPUs.

Nepgear failed to save the CPUs.

Nepgear failed to maintain her friendship with IF... Kind of.

Nepgear failed to tell everyone about her power.

Nepgear failed to defeat _dogoos_.

If there's any actual achievements she has, they certainly include running away from Judge and surviving being asphyxiated by said dogoos, and even then the latter was more of a fluke, while the former doesn't sound particularly great when said out loud.

 _'What the goodness...'_

At this point, the girl is beyond useless; she might as well be a _liability_ now.

 _'If I wasn't already one before...'_

Just as a gentle breeze blows, violet eyes filled with sadness glance upwards towards the azure skies. The sun of the afternoon is still considerably high, several hours away from disappearing into the horizon. It's clear that the day is still far from coming to an end.

It's impressive, then, how Nepgear already wants to go home.

"Ge-Ge, aren't you coming with us?" "We're really going to leave you behind, Gear!"

"... Heh."

Allowing a minuscule smile to cross her features, the Candidate once again directs her sight towards the two girls.

And then, just as her feet start moving, a single word exits her lips.

"Coming!"

At least one wish of hers will be granted today.

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 _ **Whew, this one chapter took quite a lot of work.**_

 _ **Somehow, that makes me feel as if I just plunged on quality. How troublesome...**_

 _ **This time, the chapter was about the game's first quest, clearly modified to require more than 5 dogoo eliminations like its gameplay counterpart, mostly for realism's sake. The main focus was on interactions, some world-building and a few glimpses of Nepgear's worrying mentality which leads to Bad Ends beyond the "I'm useless" part!**_

 _ **And that's just another way of saying "obligatory filler," people!**_

 _ **In here, one can easily spot some glaring changes from the original order of events. But, h** **ey, if I were to follow canon without pulling both small and big butterfly effects, what would be the point?**_

 _ **My plan is to never go full AU but still show a completely different route from the ones in the game, one which could have happened if Nepgear had such an ability and acted recklessly at the very beginning of the story. Cause and effect is one of the main themes of this story, and pulling some strings, such as changing a character's current location in canon to make things easier for me or erasing a side-character I don't like and calling "AU" to justify it, would be just cheating!**_

 _ **That said, there isn't exactly much for me to say about this chapter.** **I attempted to make it more light-hearted, semi-obligatory slime asphyxiation disaster notwithstanding, because this isn't an "edgy" story focused on "endless drama and pain and cool stuffz" like those I constantly see around the Neptunia Archive.**_

 _ **There is always supposed to be hope somewhere, people! Or else it's just an bland, soulless grief porn!**_

 _ **Nevermind how Nepgear hates her own definition of hope, that is.**_

 _ **So, was it good? Enjoyable? A pile of dogoos? Tell** **me in the reviews, y'all!**_

 _ **Now, time to head back to Real Life!**_

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A ludicrous flow of cars, a glaringly overflowing crowd, and the weakening sunlight of the late afternoon.

As expected, the general area around the Guild's building, a business district always bustling with activity, hasn't changed one bit from how it was several hours ago; it's still unimaginably _hard_ to navigate through the unbelievably populated sidewalk.

That's the conclusion Nepgear reaches as someone bumps into her for what must be the thousandth time.

Hastily regaining her balance, the Candidate continues to move forward towards the Guild, where she'll surely reunite a IF and Compa—

Only for yet another person to bump on her, almost sending the girl to the ground.

 _'Goodness, this is far too much...'_

The fact that no one really apologizes, Nepgear muses as she's pushed forward, only makes the situation even more unbearable.

 _'If only I had been more careful...!'_

Honestly, she should have known better than to fall into a self-deprecating trance about how useless she is _amidst a crowd_.

A sudden shove from the side only reinforces her realization.

Transforming and flying to the Guild would be so easy, but it would also undoubtedly increase the confusion by a tenfold due to startling everyone around her.

One passerby's elbow pushes her arm.

The scowling girl doesn't even want to _imagine_ such chaos.

As such, she simply keeps moving forward, willfully refraining from reaching for her vibrating N-Gear due to it being quite obviously _a bad idea_ at the moment, and letting out a sigh as it eventually stops.

Someone's shoulder hits her, but she's fine.

A knee hits her thigh, but she doesn't even flinch.

One girl steps on her foot—

 **"...!"**

And her world freezes mid-step.

 _'W-Wha—'_

An instant, that's how long their interaction lasts.

It's for a mere instant that wide amethyst meets wide amethyst, and yet that's more than enough.

After all, it only takes a single instant for Nepgear to notice what should be her own face staring right back at her. It only takes a single instant for her to notice the yellow and red cracked heart hairclip, alongside a black outfit which is all but identical to her own white one.

And it only takes a single instant for the doppelganger to take off to the opposite way, madly shoving anyone in her way.

"Hey!" the Candidate calls out to her as she immediately gives chase, following the girl from two meters away and doing her best to ignore the frustrated curses from the fallen citizens on both sides. "Wait up!"

That only makes the doppelganger run faster, her movements much easier now that the passersby are panickedly avoiding the both of them.

"Stop!" Nepgear tries once again, forcing her body to run faster even as her untrained, heavily limited stamina is spent at an alarming rate. "Who are you?!"

"J-Just leave me alone, dammiiiiit!" her own voice responds desperately as the girl suddenly turns to the left, pushing her way through yelping and shouting citizens as she heads into a tight alley between two metallic white buildings. "I'll stop it, I _swear_!"

The Candidate does the same turn two seconds later, hot in pursuit even as their small distance slowly grows with each passing moment, and enters the alley now a few more meters behind the doppelganger. "Why do you look like me?!"

"Give up, pleeeeease!" the girl shouts as she glances back in... _fear_? "C'mon, it was all just a prank, sis! A social experiment! I meant no disrespect, really!"

 _'W-What is she talking about?!'_

A moment later, the doppelganger takes a sharp turn right, which Nepgear follows—

"Sorry, I wanna live a tiny bit more!"

 _'Huh?'_

—just in time to see the girl throw backwards some sort of gray metallic ball, as small as a grape, towards her face.

For one quarter of a second, Nepgear wonders what the strange object is.

 ***BOOOOOOOMMMM***

And then she finds out as a powerful impact hits her face.

"AAAAHHH!" the Candidate screams as white overtakes her vision and a terrible ringing noise outright disables her hearing. In an instant, she completely loses her footing and impacts the metallic ground, skidding to a painful halt a moment later as she holds her ears in horrible pain, gritting her teeth in a vain attempt to alleviate it as much as possible.

"ARGH! D-D-DAMMIT!"

To say it hurts would be a _ludicrously immense understatement_.

 _'That was... a flashbang...!'_

Nepgear is sure there's some sort of irony in there somewhere, and she would certainly attempt to find it... _if only it wasn't hurting so much!_

"Gah... Ugh..."

This _isn't_ worse than being crushed, but to make her swear seriously _for the first time in her life_ is a _massive_ accomplishment.

It only takes a few seconds for her vision to return, but the ringing seems to go on _forever and ever_. Fortunately, that turns out not to be the case, as it begins to fade after a short while which feels much longer to the writhing girl, eventually leaving her lying on the ground amidst ragged breaths.

 _'F-Finally...'_

Slowly, with a hand still by her ear, the Candidate raises to her feet, confused violet eyes pointing to the direction the doppelganger was running to.

Needless to say, she already disappeared, leaving not a single a trace behind aside from the flashbang's scattered fragments.

 _'Goodness, what was that about...?'_

That girl... She looked _exactly_ like Nepgear! And she was completely terrified, thinking that the Candidate was going to hurt her for some reason!

 _It just doesn't make any sense!_

 ***Bzzzt* *Bzzzt* *Bzzzt***

"Ah!" The lilac-haired girl jolts in place, reaching for her N-Gear and bringing it to her face, only to see something she should have expected.

 _'IF...'_

That's right. Even if just momentarily, she completely forgot about her earlier goal.

 _'Goodness, they must be very worried... For them, it must have looked like I disappeared into thin air!'_

Candidate throws a last glance at the alleyway before her, violet eyes meticulously examining every single detail of the view.

"..."

Of course, absolutely nothing happens.

 _'I wonder what I was expecting...'_

With a long sigh escaping her lips, the girl turns around, her feet moving to bring her back to the streets.

 _'I'll have to worry about it later. There's nothing I can do right now.'_

Nepgear presses a button on the device before bringing it closer to her mouth, and from it comes a lone word, signaling the definite end of that strange, _painful_ meeting.

"Yes...?"


	6. Brave Heart, Healing Soul

"..."

It's dark.

As the blonde fairy stares blankly into the Planeptunian CPU Candidate's room, seated on her hovering book with both hands on her lap, that's the first thing she notices. If it weren't for the light coming from the corridor behind her, she wouldn't even be able to make out most of the bedroom's details.

It's dark, with shadows covering most of the room.

It shouldn't be dark.

"..."

Slowly, her blue eyes move towards the long glass pane running through the left wall of the room, only a single segment of it featuring an almost unnoticeable sliding window in order to allow the outside air to enter.

The glass is completely covered by a violet and completely opaque curtain.

This room didn't have any curtain.

"..."

Her sight soon falls upon the small circular table in the middle of the bedroom, adorned by a single pink vase housing a minuscule tree and surrounded by two similarly colored cushioned seats.

There are also several almost empty cups of strawberry pudding, one of which still has a metal spoon inside.

They didn't have any strawberry pudding.

"..."

Lastly, Histoire directs her eyes to the other side of the room, where the two bed are. In the bottom one, clad only in her white and blue striped undergarments and turned to the other side, is the lilac-haired girl herself.

Judging by the light coming from her spot and the quiet music sounding through the room, there is no doubt she's playing a game on the N-Gear. Meanwhile, on the floor next to the bed, there are two stacks of nothing but comics, likely already read given Nepgear's lack of interest in them.

The N-Gear didn't have any games.

And no one in this household had any physical comics.

"..."

As she takes in the sight with a vacant stare, Histoire feels her hand twitch.

Having Nepgear act like this feels unbearably _wrong_.

 _'I was aware that something was wrong from the moment she was not with the others to report, but this is beyond ludicrous...'_

Gulping lightly, the fairy carefully advances into the room, as if not to disturb the lilac-haired girl. Half a moment later, she remembers that her movements are silent by default, and simply hovers up to the table, eyeing the undressed Candidate with a pensive stare.

This might be troublesome to deal with... but Histoire has to say _something_.

Her only hope is that she doesn't make things ever worse.

 _'Let's see, how should I begin...?'_

"Nepgear..." the fairy hesitantly calls out to the girl in a quiet voice. Nepgear doesn't turn around, but the game's music immediately stops, certainly a sign that she's listening. "I am aware of how this day has been a disaster for you, but simply giving up and locking yourself away from the world will not make you feel better."

"... Not giving up..." the Candidate weakly mumbles back, still facing her N-Gear. "And here is fun... Better than outside... I'll just stay here until tomorrow..."

"..."

Histoire frowns, her shoulders drooping slightly. It seems this _will_ be troublesome to deal with.

The girl is undoubtedly, invariably _depressed_ , and she couldn't have been more obvious about it. To make matters worse, with the war against ASIC ongoing and the four proper CPUs still imprisoned, a despondent Candidate is the very last thing Planeptune needs at the moment.

At this point, it's outright _vital_ that the Oracle finds a way to raise Nepgear's mood; if this girl, one of Gamindustri's last remaining hopes, stays as discouraged and dispirited as she seems, it wouldn't be unlikely for her to fall in battle and bring about the continent's destruction.

Even if such a fate were to be avoided following the Candidate's demise, Histoire wouldn't know how to feel knowing that she sent yet another girl she raised and loved to her death, like several others before. In the darkest scenario, blinded by emotion, the fairy may end up deactivating her systems for good without a second thought. It may sound unlikely, but Histoire is intelligent enough not to underestimate her own emotions; that is one of the many lessons innumerable years of existence have taught her.

As Neptune would have said, this route is filled with Bad Ends.

Point is, Nepgear _can't_ stay depressed like she is.

 _'However, it is not as if I can blame her for it...'_

After all this girl went through, it would be surprising if she _hadn't_ been affected. And that's what makes everything much more complicated than it should be; Nepgear is outright _justified_ in acting like this. After nearly dying several times, she's wholly _justified_ in being scared of the world outside.

Histoire lets out a soft sigh at the thought, her small hands falling on the blank pages beneath.

It's much easier to deal with unjustified actions...

"I understand that you feel distraught," the fairy tries once again, worry seeping in her voice. "But you need to be aware that no one expected you to outright decimate all your foes. You mustn't judge yourself so harshly-"

"Why?"

Histoire halts even her breathing at that, utter surprise crossing her face for a moment. It doesn't take long for it to grow mild, however, the fairy looking considerably calmer as she raises an eyebrow. "... Excuse me?"

"Why?" Nepgear repeats, her quizzical voice coming in a quiet whisper. "Why does everyone expect _me_ to save Gamindustri? Even though no one said it, it's obvious. I'm the only free CPU, so _of course_ I have to do it, but... why do you all just forget I'm _weak_...?"

"... Ah."

So _that's_ what this is about...? This girl isn't afraid of the world following near death experiences, but instead she's fearing the future for not having confidence in her strength?

 _'Oh dear, it seems I was completely mistaken.'_

A long sigh escapes Histoire's lips, and then... a smile.

Now _this_ is much easier to deal with.

"We do not," the fairy begins in a soothing voice, as if to dissuade Nepgear's worries even as her actual words to the opposite. "We never once believed you to be as strong as a CPU proper. You are weak, perhaps even beyond what a CPU Candidate should be."

"Then, why-"

"Tell me, are you aware of the beings known as Mascots?"

"..."

Nepgear instantly grows silent at that question, perhaps out of confusion, or maybe simply in wait for Histoire's explanation.

Taking the silence as a sign to continue, the Oracle once again speaks. "They are beings created by the ancient Goddesses, one for each nation, tasked with watching over their lands passively. With their power, the Mascots diminish spawn rates, improve crops and, in dangerous times, they share their strength with their patron goddesses, granting the CPUs temporary power until peace returns."

Following those words, Histoire keeps her eyes on the Candidate lying in bed, waiting for some sort of reaction. A shift in place, a glance, anything which may show that Nepgear understands the implications.

She doesn't even budge, though, still staring into her N-Gear.

"I... can become stronger...?"

Her reply, however, is far beyond satisfactory.

The Oracle's smile widens, hope fluttering inside her. This may actually go rather well.

"You are weak, Nepgear. Of that there is no doubt."

The first step is agreeing that the troubled individual's problem exists, no matter how untruthful such a statement is. Pushing back and insisting that the only issue is within the mind may only lead to extremely negative results.

"However, with the power of the Mascots, you can surely become stronger."

Then comes a simple solution, one which feels within reach. It has to be a truthful solution, one which will surely have some effect, so that its eventual achievement will certainly push the individual's uncertainties to the back of their minds.

"For the past years, I, alongside a team of experts, have searching for their precise location, investigating numerous unusual readings all around the nation. Although the Mascots' whereabouts are still unknown, we are nearing a breakthrough, in no small part due to a portion of your mana, which I extracted during your coma."

Following that, it's necessary to give them hope. Hope that the solution shall be achieved easily enough. Hope that nothing shall go wrong. Hope that their dilemma shall soon be solved.

Histoire has to hold back a frown as she maintains her smile. Even if this is for the good of every single one of them, it still feels as if she's tricking Nepgear with those words.

"So, please, do not allow yourself to falter," the fairy pleads, allowing a slight amount of desperation into her voice. "No matter how bleak the situation looks, our chances are in truth quite decent. We can still do it, Nepgear," the fairy declares, hope in her tone.

And then, the last blow.

 ** _"We can still save Neptune."_**

"...!"

Nepgear twitched.

Even though she was unmoving before, Nepgear immediately twitched when Histoire said those words.

The girl undoubtedly paid attention to the Oracle. Her mind is now processing what she heard during those past few minutes.

And the fairy can only hope she will reach a favorable conclusion.

 _'The rest is entirely up to Nepgear...'_

Without another word, Histoire turns around and begins hovering to the doorway, her message completely delivered. All the Candidate needs right now is time to think.

Thus, the fairy won't continue her speech to the point of exhaustion. She won't appeal to the girl's sense of responsibility and clearly unerased guilt any further.

And, of course, she won't drop yet another grand revelation on the girl so soon.

Heaven knows how she'd react to such a thing.

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 _'We can still save Neptune, huh...?'_

The door closes behind Nepgear, but even then she still doesn't move.

There is no need to, after all.

Without hesitation, with her violet eyes still staring into her N-Gear's screen, the girl presses a button and continues the game, once again directing part of her focus towards running, jumping and rolling through the grassy level.

 _'Those Mascots... I guess they do make my chances better...'_

Even as she thinks that, even as elation attempts to overtake her mind, the girl still doesn't allow herself to be immersed in happiness.

A measly two percent is already better than one percent, after all.

 _'That's still good, though... I think I can feel a little bit happy, then...'_

With that in mind, the girl continues immerse herself in her game, letting a small smile cross her lips as the worries slowly fade into the back of her mind.

Nepgear wasn't lying before. Here _is_ much better than the world outside.

Out there, all sorts of bad things happen, like death, or death, also death, there's death too, and...

Ah.

She forgot to ask Histoire about the doppelganger.

 _'... I'll just do it later.'_

And so, the Candidate promptly expels the problem from her conscious mind.

Her actions might seem unbelievably irresponsible, but, really, what else can she do at the moment? Go questing alone? It's almost hilarious how much of a bad idea that is. Go to her old workshop and build something to aid her in battle? That's a nice idea and all, but Nepgear doesn't even know _what_ to make.

It certainly can't be something which requires additional training, so no new main weapons or guns for the time being.

... And that's about everything the girl could think of.

A sigh escapes the Candidate's lips just as she completes Stage 4 Act 1. It's funny how ideas work; at first you have nothing, then comes a sudden **_flash_** of inspiration and lastly you're left wondering why you didn't think of that before.

Sadly, Nepgear is still firmly in the "nothing" phase.

...

...

...

Wait.

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 ***Compa***

 **Brave Heart, Healing Soul**

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A cluttered room, somewhat large and yet filled with all sorts of objects.

Several devices are lined up along the counters by the walls, from a strange box-like machine linked to a computer to tools like microscopes and everything one would expect to see in a chemistry set.

Wherever a wall is accessible, a metallic rack makes itself known, holding many tools which wouldn't be out of place in a mechanic's store, alongside others most commonly used in places such as military bases.

And, seated on the metallic desk on the wall opposite to the door, is a lilac-haired girl, staring blankly at the large blue paper laid out before her whilst hastily tapping her pen against the gray surface.

 ***Tap* *Tap* *Tap***

"..."

She doesn't know how to do it.

As she sits here, on this cushioned rotating chair, Nepgear realizes she absolutely _doesn't know_ how to build a flashbang like the one her doppelganger quite _amicably_ displayed to her.

Unbidden, violet eyes glance back at the devices in the workshop. Building a casing for the flashbang is easy enough, that's what the 3D printer is for; but, for the love of the True Goddess, the Candidate can't seem to figure out how to actually _build_ the entire grenade.

A sigh sounds through the room as she once again looks at the paper on the desk. Not a single line of black ink can be found amidst its ocean blue color, alluding to how Nepgear has made a... less than optimal amount of progress in the hour and half she has been here.

Zero percent is certainly less than optimal, after all.

 _'Goodness, this shouldn't be so hard...!'_

Seriously, how _did_ that thing work? Nepgear could certainly fill her inventory with normal flashbangs, but she doesn't _want_ those! The doppelganger's strange grenade has catched her attention, and _that's_ the type the Candidate desires!

She's not being picky, it's a matter of _efficiency_!

The flashbang she was hit with was small as a grape, which in itself is a massive advantage over the normal type, and actually dispersed shrapnel instead of having cutouts for the light and sound of the explosion to escape without completely destroying the casing, meaning it was truly meant to do some damage.

In other words, Nepgear would probably be dead without mana protection. Either the doppelganger has a tendency to be stupidly careless, or that girl was out for blood.

The worst part, the Candidate muses with a frown, is how she's honestly unsure as to which one is worse.

But, back to the subject at hand, the grenade also had no visible pin hole and neither a button, meaning it was manually activated while still in mid-air even though the girl is quite sure there was no remote in the doppelganger's uncovered hands.

Figuring out how such a thing was made possible would be Nepgear's first task... if only she didn't know the answer already, that is.

Nepgear already did the same thing before, after all; that strange girl clearly forced the flashbang to explode with her own mana. Due to its size and the fact it was most certainly made to be activated that way, there's no doubt that such an action would cost a negligible amount of mana when compared to bursting a Sharicite.

Small, effective and easy to use; the _perfect_ side weapon for someone like her.

Which, once again, brings us to our earlier point.

"Ugh..." Nepgear lets out a groan, allowing her head fall softly on the blue paper. "This is just so... annoying...!"

It's the perfect side weapon. Sure.

Now, _how does it actually work_?!

The Candidate grits her teeth, her brain working in overdrive to find an explanation. At this point, she can almost _feel_ her sanity slipping away out of pure frustration.

 _'Maybe I should just fill it with powdered metal, thermite and... No, it'd need a larger size... and a pin. Goodness, that's just a normal one...'_

This situation has gone way past _insufferable_ by now.

Whenever the lilac-haired girl built devices long ago, she would make headway on the development by the first ten minutes, even if said headway meant only figuring out how to arrange the wires. Doing absolutely _nothing_ in the time it takes for her to build two small laser knives is a whole new experience to her.

 _And she's **not** enjoying it **one bit.**_

With a grunt, Nepgear raises her head from the desk, letting it fall on the cushioned seat instead as she stares blankly at the metallic white wall. At this point, she feels like just giving up, going back to her room and playing videogames-

 ***Vwiiish***

"Hm?" At the sudden mechanical noise, the Candidate swiftly glances at the doorway.

Standing there, clad in her usual sweater and holding a white bag in her right hand, is a certain nurse-in-training, staring at Nepgear with obvious surprise. The stunned gaze fades an instant later, though, being replaced by a simple quizzical look. "Ge-Ge...?"

"Compa?" Pen still in hand, the lilac-haired girl fully rotates her chair around to face the newcomer, raising an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing here?"

The peach-haired girl blinks at that, slightly tilting her head in confusion. "Um, didn't you see my big syringe, Ge-Ge? I shoot poison at the bad guys, so I always need to come here and make more."

"... Ah," is Nepgear's simple reply as her eyebrow lowers.

So the rifle-like sounds from before were her weapon's, huh...?

Well, Compa having to occasionally restock on her preferred ammunition makes sense, Nepgear supposes. It certainly explains why the workshop looks clean, and why some old devices were replaced by newer ones.

 _'But this is a bit surprising... I remember that Compa didn't really like chemistry when she was little.'_

Honestly, it's both truthfully amazing and incredibly _jarring_ how much things have changed...

Lightly shaking her head to get rid of such distracting thoughts, the Candidate shoots an apologetic smile at nurse-in-training. "Well, I'd love to offer my help, but I'm somewhat busy here," she points out before breaking eye contact and spinning back towards the desk. "So... All I can do is wish you good luck, I guess? Sorry."

With that, the girl once again focuses on the blue, and otherwise completely _blank_ , paper in front of her, kick-starting her mind as she goes back to seeking the answer to a particular question.

 _'How the heavens did that grenade work?!'_

Nepgear takes a deep breath, raising her pen and finally allowing it to touch blue. As she "realized" several times by now while her mind went in hopeless circles, making the casing is the easy part; the workshop has enough mana metal for quite a lot of them, and, even if they didn't, it wouldn't be particularly costly to buy some.

Mana metal is essentially a limitless supply, after all; monster drops overcharged with additional mana in such a way that they neither disappear alongside defeated enemies nor become powerful fireworks in the hands of an unlucky schmuck. Although there are as many kinds of mana metal as there are actual mineral metals, a flashbang wouldn't need a particularly rare type of material.

... At least that's what Nepgear expects. If, after all this frustration, she still finds out that a freaking _Boss drop_ is necessary to build a measly grenade, the Candidate may as well go mad out of disbelief alone.

"Ge-Ge, what are you making there?" Compa's curious voice comes from near the Candidate's ear. "That ball thingie looks a bit familiar..."

Taking her attention away from her drawings of what the casing is supposed to look like, the lilac-haired girl throws a glance at the nurse-in-training leaning over her shoulder, white bag nowhere to be seen, as she replies, doing her best not to let the frustration seep into her voice. "I'm trying to figure out how to build a small flashbang. I'm having some issues with it, though, especially with making it tiny..."

The nurse-in-training mouths a silent "Oh" at the explanation, apparently understanding what the Candidate said. Following that, she directs her peach-colored eyes towards the blue paper, seemingly opting to postpone her own poison-making in favor of silently watch the lilac-haired girl work.

 _'... Goodness, should I feel flattered by that? Or is she just making sure I don't accidentally blow up the workshop...?'_

Honestly, knowing—or, rather, _not_ knowing—how much Compa changed, it can go either way.

Lightly shaking her head to get rid of such distracting thoughts, the lilac-haired girl turns her eyes towards the paper, bringing her mind back to the situation at hand.

Drawn on blue are several depictions of a sphere, some with and others without relatively thinly covered circular cutouts to severely diminish the physical damage, and all featuring a line going through the middle. A small text by the side explains how that is where the two halves of the casing will be attached together, while right beneath it is a mention of the sphere's actual size, a measly 10 cm in radius.

... And that's it. Everything the Candidate knows about her so-called future side weapon is that _the damn thing will be spherical, small and may have holes on it._

 _How fascinating._

Letting her pen fall on the desk, Nepgear brings both hands to her face, letting out the longest of sighs. This is just stupid now.

"No matter how hard I try, I simply _can't_ figure out how build a flashbang with this size... Nothing actually _fits_ in the casing," the Candidate mumbles to the peach-haired girl, "I _know_ it's possible, but I don't see _how_. It's really annoying..."

Seriously, what the heck is up with this? _Nepgear_ of all people is almost at the end of her patience because of this dumb flashbang project!

At this rate, she might as well just give up and build herself another side weapon! Like... Like a gun or something! Those are cool and useful, right? Neptune even has one, after all! Not that she uses it much, but still!

They require training, sure, but how hard would it be to learn on the go?

Lowering both hands from her face, violet eyes stare at the blue paper which _should_ be displaying schematics for the grenade. Nepgear doesn't need this, not at all! Anything which brings so much frustration can't possibly be worth it! Thus, she'll simply scrap the project and make herself a firearm-

"Hey, Ge-Ge, isn't that one of those magic flash grenade thingies?"

"...!"

Nepgear freezes, her whole body growing rigid at once.

"Ge-Ge...?"

Slowly, the lilac-haired girl turns her sight towards the nurse-in-training leaning over her shoulder, the expression on her soft features somewhere between a Histoire whose Neptune just sneaked away and an IF whose phones were all decimated at once.

Because _that's_ how bad her state is.

"Um..." Compa can't help but shift uncomfortably at that, instinctively gulping at the gaze. "D-Did I say anything bad...? You look scary..."

For a moment, Nepgear doesn't say anything, simply staring at the nervous girl with an unbelievable intensity as innumerable thoughts rage through her mind.

And then, after what feels like an eternity, the one and only CPU Candidate of Planeptune finally speaks- No, _orders_ the mortal girl.

"... _Proceed_."

"H-Huh...?"

* * *

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Nepgear takes a deep breath, resisting the urge to also idly jump in place to diminish her nervousness.

Exhaling all the air she took in, the girl eyes the floating ball of light before her, its size as big as a small marble. Every two seconds it pulsates, undoubtedly attempting to free itself from its small prison and burst spectacularly, bringing about a world of brightness and noise.

The Candidate silently gulps at the thought. She most certainly doesn't want that again.

Flash, Hurtful Deafness and Detonation; those are the three different spells which form the glowing orb suspended mid-air by the center of the workshop. A skilled mage would certainly be able to conjure such a combination instantly, but, as none is currently present at the current point in time, the novice spellcaster in the room instead took whole fifteen seconds to form it instead.

Long enough to be unusable in battle; short enough not to make Nepgear's objective a chore.

And that's all which matters, really.

Slowly, the lilac-haired girl brings her two hands forward, each one holding the half of a small spherical casing filled with cutouts covered by a relatively thin layer of metal; if everything goes to hell, at least there won't be lots of shrapnel to destroy the workshop.

Nepgear really, _really_ doesn't want everything to go to hell, though.

Taking care not to tremble too much, the Candidate slowly brings the two halves together around the marble of light, immediately twisting them until a quiet "click" sounds.

 _'Alright... Almost done...'_

Carefully, the girl crouches and places the sphere on the floor, raising immediately afterwards and shooting a serious look behind her.

The nurse-in-training standing there, holding a hand towards the object on the ground, replies with what can only be described as a determined gaze before nodding. Not wasting time, she then backs away into the hallway, pressing herself against the wall beside the doorway, only her hand still visible to Nepgear as the peach-haired girl continues to point at the sphere.

The Candidate hastily walks, almost runs even, out of the workshop immediately afterwards, placing her back against the other side of the doorway as the nurse-in-training.

 _'It has to work this time...!'_

Both girls nod at each other, understanding clear in their gazes. And then, in a single instant, they both close their eyes shut and cover their ears as hard as possible, just in time for...

...

...

...

Nothing to happen.

Slowly, the both of them crack their eyes open as they lower their hands, exchanging glances of both confusion and expectancy. Hesitantly, the two girls peek into the workshop, both focusing on the completely intact sphere on the floor.

A second passes, and then two go by. For several moments, the girls simply look at the object, both momentarily forgetting what would happen if something were to go wrong at this exact moment.

Eventually, after much staring, two relieved sighs sound at once.

 _'Finally...'_

Moving out of her cover, Nepgear walks up to her newly developed stun grenade and crouches down, taking it in her grasp.

She can almost feel the spells swirling inside it, just waiting for _a little bit of energy_ to burst forth.

The girl can't resist a smile. Maybe this way she can be somewhat useful in the future.

"Is everything alright, Ge-Ge?" Compa calls out from the doorway, her voice much more curious than worried. "Is that one good?"

Nepgear lets out a quiet chuckle before raising from the ground and shooting a smile at the other girl. "Don't worry, this one isn't going to explode on us."

The utter relief on the nurse-in-training's face almost elicits yet another chuckle from the Candidate.

 _'Goodness, it feels so nice having everything go right for once...'_

"Alright. Another one, please," the Candidate requests as she once again directs her sight forward, the flashbang in her grasp dematerializing into her inventory and opening space for yet another pair of half casings to appear in her hands. "Let's make about thirty of this version tight now. Then we'll go outside to build the shrapnel ones, just in case something goes wrong..." the girl trails off, suddenly realizing how pushy she must sound. "Um, if you want to, I mean..."

"No problem, Ge-Ge! I'm glad to assist you!" Compa cheerfully replies from her place behind Nepgear. "That's what I'm here for!"

At those kind words, the Candidate's smile widens a bit. Even after whatever many years passed, even though the two of them are decidedly distant now, it seems the peach-haired girl is still as nice as ever.

"..."

And, just as a new ball of light begins to forms, that thought brings a frown to the lilac-haired girl's features. They're all "distant" now, each one of them; Histoire, IF, Compa... At this point, the only reason they're not merely acquaintances is because of a misplaced sense of familiarity.

For the fairy and the nurse-in-training, that's what allows them to act normally around Nepgear; for the brunette, it was that familiarity which made it all hurt more when the Candidate "saved her own skin" back them.

They're all distant, that's without a doubt; then, what would happen if Nepgear told them about her "ability"? What if she revealed that she can possibly live through entire lifetimes in what feels like an instant to them?

Everything would grow worse, Nepgear realizes as she attaches together yet another grenade and moves to the next one. Subconsciously or not, her former friends, as they're essentially acquaintances now, would undoubtedly distance themselves even further from her, suddenly aware that the Planeptunian Candidate lives in a terrifyingly different world from theirs.

Before, Nepgear rationalized her reluctance to share her ability as a simple fear.

Now she found a reason to keep silent, and she's honestly not sure how feel about that.

 _'... I doubt I'd manage to tell them, anyway...'_

Yes. In a sense, nothing changed. It just so happens nothing can change anymore either.

 _'How... pathetic...'_

"Ge-Ge, I know it's boring, but pleeeease don't space out!" Compa suddenly calls out to her. "I don't think I can keep this up...!

"Ah!" Jolting in place, Nepgear hastily joins yet another pair of halves. "S-Sorry!" Not wasting a beat, she stores away the new grenade and summons more parts.

 _'Goodness, this almost ended badly...'_

Still, as a minuscule smile crosses the lilac-haired girl's lips, she can't help but feel a bit glad. Whether it's out of politeness, having the nurse-in-training be nice to her, offering help without a hint of hesitation and distracting Nepgear from those horrible thoughts, feels much better than she expected.

And so, the Candidate pushes her worries to the back of her mind, even if only for the time being, and focuses on the task at hand, thanking the heavens that Compa is here to help-

 ** _Wait._**

In an instant, Nepgear's eyes widen, a sudden realization hitting her.

"Compa..."

"Ge-Ge?" the quizzical reply sounds from behind, the peach-haired girl obviously confused by her friend's serious tone. "What's the matter?"

"..."

Without a word, the Candidate completes one more grenade, its "click" sounding almost deafening amidst the silence. Dematerializing it, she fully turns around to face Compa, a grave expression overtaking her features, and a single sentence exits her lips.

"... What did you mean by that?"

"Eh...?" The nurse-in-training blinks, staring quizzically at Nepgear. "Ge-Ge, I'm not sure what you're-"

"You told me 'that's what I'm here for' when I asked for your help," the Candidate clarifies, taking a step towards her friend. "What did you mean?"

"...!"

For a moment, a perplexed expression crosses the peach-haired girl's face, only to be replaced by a smile an instant later. "Ah, you're worrying too much. That was a just a simple little saying-"

"That was _not_ a saying, Compa," Nepgear declares with the utmost confidence, moving a few more centimeters nearer to the other girl.

"U-Um..." The nurse-in-training's smile wavers as she instinctively takes a step back, almost desperate to keep the distance between the two of them. "I-It is! My grandpa used it all the time when he helped people-"

The Candidate's expression hardens. "He would _never_ tell you something as pathetic as that."

Compa flinches, and internally Nepgear wonders if that was too harsh for her to say.

 _'It sounded so cool in that comic, though...'_

"A-Ah..." The peach-haired girl takes another step back towards the doorway, drops of sweat trailing her nervous face. "You're just overthinking it, Ge-Ge! I-I just meant that..."

As the nurse-in-training trails off, Nepgear can't help but narrow her eyes, the sight looking quite menacing if the wince it elicits from the other girl is anything to go by. "What _did_ you mean, Compa?"

The peach-haired girl is practically trembling as she opens her mouth to respond, only to close it afterwards. Whether intentionally or out of instinct, she suddenly averts her her widened eyes, undoubtedly attempting to think of some excuse to stop the Candidate's questions.

Nepgear, meanwhile, has to bite back all her hesitation, all the excuses she wants to let out, as she stares down the shaky nurse-in-training. Right now, she _has_ to be rough, or else she won't find an answer.

That line Compa let out in an obvious slip... The lilac-haired girl is beyond familiar with the feeling behind it.

'That's what I'm here for,' she said.

'Because that's all I'm good at,' she certainly meant.

Even though it feels like a stretch, even though Nepgear is quite likely projecting herself in the peach-haired girl, as Compa's eyes desperately wander around the workshop with nothing but nervousness, the Candidate _knows_ there is some amount of truth there.

And so, she keeps her gaze trained on the nurse-in-training, simply waiting until she reaches a choice.

It happens far sooner than Nepgear thought. Just a few moments later, Compa grows still, something akin to realization crossing her features. Slowly, her eyes descend to the ground as a troubled frown appears, completing the perfect image of a crestfallen girl. And then...

Suddenly, a chuckle.

A quiet, hollow chuckle.

The Candidate can't stop a stunned expression from overtaking her features at that.

 _'W-Wha...?'_

"Ge-Ge sure is mean." Compa mumbles, her tone coming as dejected as it sounds cheerful. "And I was so sure you didn't heard that... You just took so long to talk about it!"

The girl raises her head, peach-colored eyes staring into violet as a sad smile meets Nepgear's own frown. "Then again, I guess Ge-Ge is just too attentive for that, huh?"

"C-Compa...?" As much as she wants to, the Candidate simply can't erase all the disbelief on her face, her tough facade torn to shreds. That tone, that expression... The girl can't possibly ignore the chill descending her spine.

 _It's as if Nepgear is staring at herself._

Compa doesn't even bat an eye at the lilac-haired girl's reaction, likely having expected it. As she opens her mouth, the nurse-in-training hesitates for a moment, but her voice eventually does comes out.

"You know... I really, _really_ don't like fighting," she reveals in a sullen voice. "Ever since I was little, I always disliked... _hated_ fighting. There's just so much pain and anger and suffering... It's too much for me, and... I already told you about my daddy and mommy, right?"

Even as she wears a perplexed expression, the lilac-haired girl still manages a slight nod towards the nurse-in-training. She remembers very well what she was once told years ago.

Compa's parents... They never came back from a quest, forcing the girl's grandfather to raise her in their stead.

And that's it, there's nothing more to the story. It's just a sudden and simple tragedy, not common nor uncommon, the kind which is so forgettable it may slip from one's memory before the day even ends.

In a way... it's as if the both of them were worth absolutely nothing to the world.

"I can't miss them, Ge-Ge, I don't remember them," the peach-haired girl continues, her tone growing melancholic by the second. "They're not even a little bit important to me because of that, but knowing what happened still makes me think... of how much I hate fighting. You get hurt, you hurt others, people bleed, people die, and I just really, _really_ wish there that was no reason to fight, that everybody could just live in peace..."

At that, she grows silent, seemingly pondering about something. It's not long before she lets out a quiet giggle, cheerful yet utterly devoid of happiness. "Iffy always said I was just too kind, but... 'Shouldn't this be normal? Shouldn't everyone hate fighting?' That's what I always said all the times she brought it up. I don't think she ever agreed with me, even though she kept saying she did; for Iffy, fighting is a way of life, and... maybe I'm just the weird one, after all."

 _'... Thinking like that **should** be normal, Compa,' _ Nepgear replies in her mind, a deep frown marring her features. Even so, she can't ignore the tingling doubt in the back of her thoughts...

Does _she_ think like that?

"Iffy... She's just amazing, isn't she?" the nurse-in-training continues, her smile gaining warmth at the mention of the brunette warrior. "Everything was going bad around us, but she just kept going, and going, and going. She went out to fight everyday, and I just... tagged along without really doing anything. Whenever I threw a rock at a dogoo to distract it, I thought 'why can't I stab it instead?' Whenever I pushed a boxbird away from Iffy, I wondered 'why can't I just cut them to little pieces?' Iffy did this, Iffy did that, and I just stayed scared, closing my eyes every time a monster was hit."

 _'Yeah... IF really is incredible, I know that, but... I don't think I can respect her mindset at all.'_

A girl who doesn't fear death... Isn't that just another way of saying she harbours no love for life?

At least that's what it seems to the scowling Candidate.

"I... just felt useless, Ge-Ge. I _was_ useless to her," the peach-haired girl says, her gaze descending to the floor as she brings her hands together. "I hated fighting, and she lived by fighting; even now that's still true. Back then, I felt guilty because of that; she was doing her best, and I was just sitting by the side watching her break herself."

 _'... Are you me, Compa? Are you my reflection, or maybe... a preview of the right path...?'_

Nepgear lightly shakes her head at that thought. That was just another line from a comic, of course.

Still, as violet eyes focus on the saddened nurse-in-training, the Candidate is sure there is some truth in there.

"We went out to fight monsters every single day, again, and again, and again, and I kept sitting by the side, eating yummy sweets while she and whoever else was there did everything..." Compa's smile shifts, regret clear on her expression "One day I just felt tired of everything. I went to the Guild to ask for them to check my potential, but..." the girl trails off, her lips quivering for just a moment. "My mana stats are all wrong, Ge-Ge. My potentials in strength, vitality, agility and technique are really low; only my mentality and magic intelligence are a teensy bit decent."

A long sigh sounds, and peach-colored eyes once again stare into the lilac-haired girl's amethyst orbs as the smile finally fades. "Almost everybody is completely better than me."

 _'Even... me...'_

Nepgear's eyes widen at the realization. Her own general potential is only slightly above average, but, if what Compa says is true, then she, on the other hand, _shouldn't even be on the field_!

However... she didn't display any sort of distress earlier this day, did she? Not a single word of panic escaped her lips as they fought the horde of dogoos, even though she was relying on nothing aside from poison, reflexes and her own aim.

That means she either struggled without as much as a complaint...

 _'... Or she compensated for her stats with skill alone.'_

The lilac-haired girl's disbelief only grows at that realization. Both those cases are completely ludicrous! The amount of effort necessary is mind boggling!

Why go so far if her body is unsuitable for fighting?!

"But... even though I'm weak, I wanted to help Iffy," Compa declares, her voice gaining slight traces of determination. "That's why I want to be a great nurse, that's why I learned how to be a healer, and that's why I shoot real strong poison at bad guys. Even though I'm weak, even though there's a thousand good guys out there who are better than me in every single little way, I wanted to be _somewhat_ useful to everyone."

As she speaks, pointed towards the nurse-in-training is a stare of pure disbelief, the Candidate before her attempting to understand how this girl works.

 _'Compa... she... why...?'_

It just... doesn't make sense.

"I know that I'm beaten at everything worth noting by everyone."

If she's so useless...

"I know I can be replaced by anyone."

If she's so weak...

"But I still want to have some worth."

Then why does she try...?

"I want to do something, _anything_."

What is the meaning of a warrior who's outclassed by anyone else?

"Even though I need to use mean tricks like poisons, and my healing spells cost more than usual... That's the extent of how much I can help, Ge-Ge, and so that's how much I _will_ to help."

What drives her? What makes her move forward like this?!

"Because, you know..."

Nepgear grits her teeth as she eyes the unexplainable _being_ before her.

What _is_ Compa?!

"...!"

It's exactly then that it happens.

Without the slightest signal beforehand, the peach-haired girl's lips twist into a smile.

 _A beautiful, wide smile filled with nothing but warmth_.

 _'Wha... t ...?'_

In just an instant, all traces of disbelief on the Candidate's face grow tenfold as her eyes widen. This doesn't make sense... Wasn't she talking about her shortcomings? Why would she find a reason to feel happy with a subject like that?!

Almost as if sensing her doubts, it's then that Compa's smile widens as she tilts her head slightly to the side, her lips parting to offer a response.

"It's because I'm a tool, Ge-Ge."

"... Eh?"

Nepgear blinks, confusion overtaking mind in a matter of instants.

 _'What is she talking about...?'_

"I'm just a bad, rusty tool," the girl continues, her smile as bright as ever. "I'm weak, I'm fragile and there are a bunch of better ones everywhere... but even I want to be used. And that's why I'm glad I'm still being a little useful. Because I'm not here to beat bad guys, or to find shiny items, or to save the world; I'm just here to help everyone, so that I can feel better when everybody feels better because of me. So..."

Compa takes a single step forward, and then two. It soon becomes three, and the cheerful girl is now standing mere centimeters away from the stunned Candidate.

"Use me, Ge-Ge," the nurse-in-training asks in her warm voice, and it almost sounds like she's pleading. "Even if you see me as weird for thinking like that, use me. So that we can save Nep-Nep, use me. For as long as I'm still useful for everyone, use me. I'm... _Compa_ is nothing but a tool, and that's what every tool wants: to be used for as long as possible."

"C-Compa..."

The girl lets out a quiet giggle at Nepgear's blatant shock before taking a step back. "That's what I'm here for. So that I can be a used like the tool I am, so that I can help somehow. That's what I meant when I said that. Although..." Compa's smile falters a little as she averts her gaze, clear traces of something not unlike shame crossing her features. "I guess that makes me really creepy, huh...?"

"..."

Nepgear was wrong, she realizes as her stunned features soften by the second. This girl, this new Compa...

 _'She's not the same as me...'_

The Candidate doesn't want to be a tool, she wishes to be the wielder instead. Someone who leads, who can do, or at least try to do, almost anything if prompted, and not only select actions... That's the sort of person she wants to be.

She's nothing like Compa, they're complete opposites. The nurse-in-training is everything Nepgear _doesn't_ want to be.

Besides, this whole thing looks like a Bad End waiting to happen! Compa might be able to fight as well as IF, but the amount of effort it takes for her to do so is nothing short of ludicrous!

Compa shouldn't even battle alongside them, Nepgear is sure of that. The nurse-in-training should simply stay at the Basilicom, doing something else, like tending to returning warriors and brewing potions! She can do that easily enough, right?

... Although there's no doubt IF already attempted to make her see that, is there?

 _'What is the point? **Why** is she trying so hard?!'_

This is just stupid. The amount of determination this mere nurse-in-training has is outright stupid! She's putting herself in danger just to... _feel better_?! What's up with that?! It's like an anemic trying to run a marathon, a hopeless fight against nature itself!

 _'... Hopeless, huh...?'_

And, still, for some reason Nepgear can't fathom...

...

...

...

"Compa."

"Hm?" The girl perks up at her name, the shame in her smile diminishing slightly to give space to curiosity. "What is it, Ge-Ge?"

"..."

The Candidate slowly turns around, pointing her back towards the other girl and staring straight towards the center of the workshop.

"We still need to build seven grenades," Nepgear declares, her words coming as something between an order and a request. "Let's keep going, it's almost time for dinner."

"...!"

The lilac-haired girl doesn't even need to glance back to know how Compa is shooting her a stare with all the disbelief she can muster.

Neither does she need to look in order to be aware of the bright, thankful smile which reaches the peach-haired girl's features a moment later.

"Got it, Ge-Ge!" Compa replies earnestly, her voice laced with an unbelievable amount of relief and happiness alike.

"And can you help me again tomorrow morning? I need more thirty of another type of grenade."

"Yes, of course!"

"Ah, and if I ever find a potion recipe, can I have you brew it? Chemistry was more Neptune's thing."

"Leave all the chemistry thingies to me!"

"Also, could you teach me the basics of using these three spells? I need to learn how to build the grenades myself."

"Only if you'll still let me help with making them!"

"And I'm thinking of gathering some materials in Virtua. Can you come along?"

"Your request is my command, Lady Ge-Ge!"

"Oh, and Compa?"

"Hm?"

The already wide smile on the lilac-haired girl's lips widen ever further, and a simple, easy word comes from her lips.

"Thanks."

For a moment, Compa doesn't respond at all, the workshop being left in silence. A few moments pass, and Candidate silently wonders if the other girl even heard her.

Ten seconds later, however, the nurse-in-training's voice finally comes, bringing along much more happiness than Nepgear herself ever found possible.

"No problem, Ge-Ge!"

Just like that, a silent chuckle escapes the Candidate's lips.

 _'Compa...'_

As the glowing marble-like spells begin to form before her, the Planeptunian Candidate is sure the peach-haired girl can feel her own bright smile as much as she can feel hers.

Without another word, Nepgear summons more two halves of her custom grenade's casing, carefully lifting them to the same height as the floating sphere in front of her. Slowly, the lilac-haired girl brings them together, her hands not trembling anymore at the action.

 _'You say IF is amazing, but...'_

The halves grow closer and closer, encompassing more and more of the glowing spell suspended mid-air. It's not long until they're finally united, the flashbang a simple twist away from being completed.

 _'It turns out you're actually pretty incredible yourself, aren't you?'_

And a single "click" sounds, heard only by the two girls in the workshop.

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 _ ***Nepgear has just unlocked: Flashbangs and Fragbangs!***_

 _ **... No points for guessing which one has shrapnels.**_

 _ **And that was it, people! A Compa chapter!**_

 _ **Well, not really, since the focus was on Nepgear and Compa only appeared halfway through, but her part was the most important, just like it was in IF's chapter!**_

 _ **Since Comps is, to the tell the truth, quite boring in-game, I attempted to expand on her so that she won't be an empty moeblob here. It's pretty much canon that her parents are dead, with all the mentions of her grandpa alone, but instead of having her be just another generic character who's perpentually angsty because mommy and daddy are gone, I decided to go through another route without failing to acknowledge the demise of her parents. So, how was it? How was she? I feel like I did a decent job, but what do you guys think?**_

 _ **... Actually, maybe I did make her a tad creepy, after all...**_

 _ **That said, as most of you might have noticed by now, the focus of this story most certainly isn't Nepgear dying over and over again. Instead, it's about the repercussions of her having the ability to respawn and experiencing death multiple times, both on the plot and on the very foundation of her relationships.**_

 _ **That's not to say she won't die again, but I'm surely not going to force as many deaths as possible for the hell of it.**_

 _ **On another note, I just know everyone is thinking that the plot is moving at a snail's pace by now, but that's pretty much obligatory if I want to make the characters feel like actual characters instead of pushing everyone aside like the game did.** **Also, because relationships are pretty much a driving factor of Nepgear's development, I'm not just going to "let side characters be side characters and go on with the damn plot" like I'm sure some people are going to tell me to.**_

 _ **This is a character-based story, after all.**_

 _ **And I believe that is all I wanted to say.**_

 _ **In other words, we've just reached the end of today's Author' Note, everybody! Don't forget to review and favorite the story if you liked it!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter, y'all!**_

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Nepgear is happy.

Assuredly, _definitely_ happy.

As she walks down the hallway, humming to herself an old song and nonchalantly inspecting the flashbang in her hand, there's no doubt that the smile on her face is of nothing but happiness.

She did it! For once, the Candidate actually managed to do something without almost - _or actually -_ dying!

 _Amazing!_

And now she's equipped with some extra usefulness in the form of a bunch of grenades! Of course, Nepgear has the inkling feeling she'll kill herself with those someday, but that's mostly her undead self-esteem speaking.

Funny how that's an accepted part of her mind now.

But enough of that. As much as the lilac-haired girl is positively _elated_ at actually doing something, she has other things to focus on at the moment. Namely, cooking dinner in Compa's stead as she produces her poison!

Because it just wouldn't be fair otherwise, what with Nepgear taking up all the time the peach-haired girl allotted to restocking her ammunition.

Of course, Compa did protest to that decision, but the Candidate simply protested back until the nurse-in-training relented. It's honestly amazing how, even after wasting away her time by helping Nepgear without as much as a complaint, that girl still wasn't keen on having someone else take up her job.

 _'Goodness, she really is too nice...'_

Perhaps IF does have a point, after all.

But, well, that's not really important at the moment, is it?

What _is_ important right now is how the lilac-haired girl is currently making her way to the kitchen, wondering about something nice and simple to make for everyone, the kind of recipe which even she wouldn't screw up with her useless hands-

Until she feels a tap on her left shoulder, that is.

"Hm?" Nepgear immediately throws a quizzical glance to that side, only to see absolutely nobody and-

Her blood runs cold.

 _The grenade was just taken from her hand._

"Ah!" It doesn't even take an instant for the panicked girl to snap her head forward, instinctively preparing to summon her weapon as widened eyes search for the culprit-

And find _her_ a second later, standing a mere meter away and curiously examining the flashbang, a wide smirk on her face.

Nepgear blinks.

"IF?"

The brunette in question takes her emerald eyes off the flashbang in her grasp, instead focusing on the lilac-haired girl as her smirk morphs into a small grin. "Heya, nerd."

 _'... Nerd?'_

The Candidate can only shoot a disbelieving stare at the other girl.

"Yep, nerd," IF repeats, not even batting an eye at the frown on the Candidate's lips. "Also, roach. That aside, what are you doing? I thought you were busy being emo and depressed in your room."

"G-Goodness, I..." Nepgear can't help but avert her eyes at that, a bashful frown on her features. "I was just... playing on my N-Gear. I wasn't _depressed_."

"'Course you weren't," the brunette responds, her widened smirk certainly not in agreement with her words.

"I-I'm being serious!"

"Totally believing you right now."

"IF..."

"Gear," the smirking brunette quite shamelessly replies.

"... Seriously?" That such a thing elicits a deadpan stare from _Nepgear_ of all people is quite telling.

IF doesn't even react to it, however, outright ignoring the lilac-haired girl's gaze as she directs her sight back to the sphere in her grasp, bringing it up to her face. "That said, what's with this thing here? A new invention of yours? It's pretty small, I wonder what this... Oh." In just an instant, the brunette's smug expression morphs into realization. "So this is..."

"Hm?" The Candidate rasises an eyebrow at that strange reaction. "What is it?"

"Ah, it's nothing important. It's just that..." Throwing a sideways glance at Nepgear, the brunette then shoots her a sly smile. "Here I thought you were the innocent one, Gear."

"Huh?" Nepgear blinks, silently wondering what the other girl meant with that.

A second ticks.

And another one follows.

One times three makes a three.

And then it clicks.

"... AH!" Just like that, the lilac-haired girl's whole face becomes the purest shade of scarlet, her hands gesturing madly as she attempts to form a reply to that. "I- No, that's- I never did- I mean, I _did_ , but- This- J-Just give it back, please!" Lost amidst her own panic, the girl leaps forward, aiming for the object in IF's grasp.

It was not to be, however.

"Too slow, Gear!" In the last moment, the brunette sidesteps out of the way, twisting her body around and placing her free hand on Nepgear's back before pushing her.

"Whoa!" The result is an unbalanced girl struggling not to fall facefirst as she tumbles past IF. Thakfully managing to come to a safe halt, the blushing Candidate immediatelly turns around, frenzied amethyst orbs focusing on the other girl.

IF is back to eyeing the flashbang with interest, seemingly not even paying attention to Nepgear.

 _Seemingly,_ because the lilac-haired girl is acutely aware of how she's completely visible from the brunette's point of view. There _is_ this thing called peripheral vision, after all.

Thus, the Candidate takes a deep breath, doing her best to calm down her nerves. She shouldn't be acting like this, she _knows_ what that sphere on IF's hand actually is; whatever the brunette thinks shouldn't be of concern to her.

 _'Goodness, I almost lost myself there... I should stay calm.'_

Locking onto the flashbang first, and then directing her view to IF herself, Nepgear slowly opens her shaky mouth, still attempting to expel the panic in her being. "I-It's not _t-t-that_ , IF! So, please, j-just hand it back!"

"Hm?" In reponse, the brunette raises an eyebrow at the other girl. "Really, now? Well, I do feel some sort of spell in this, so maybe you're telling the truth... Lemme just analyze it anyway." With that, she focuses once again on the sphere.

And Nepgear can only let out the longest of sighs.

 _'Goodness, IF is so troublesome...'_

Still, at the very least, the brunette is somewhat reasonable. Nepgear is sure that, just as IF finishes using her mana to analyze the mana-activated flashbang and sates her curiosity, she'll gladly hand it ba-

 _'IT'S MANA-ACTIVATED!'_

In a single instant, complete and utter panic overtakes every single part of Nepgear's whole being.

She's a damn idiot.

 _She's a damn idiot._

 ** _She's a damn idiot!_**

Automatically, the Candidate's legs begin moving, the girl dashing madly towards IF just a few meters away.

"IF! STOP!"

"Wha-?!" the brunette shoots Nepgear the most surprised, outright _panicked_ look the lilac-haired girl has ever seen on that face.

... And the first traces of light reveal themselves.

 ***BOOOOOOOMMMM***

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 _And, as white blocks her sight while an ungodly noise attacks her ears, IF reaches an important decision amidst the act of screaming almost every single curse known to Gamindustri._

 _She's never playing with Nepgear's inventions again._

 _Ever._


	7. Fading Princess in the Storm

In a way, the atmosphere of a rainstorm is quite beautiful, isn't it?

Sight becomes difficult as the world darkens, colored by gray as fog covers all, white as bright thunders clap above and black as shadows dance amidst the downpour.

Hearing becomes near impossible as the storm grows stronger, both the gust of wind and the sounds of water impacting the ground drowning out almost anything else.

Even sensations become slightly numb as cold encompasses everything, attacking all without discrimination.

 ***Tap* *Tap* *Tap***

"..."

The streets, once bustling with activity, become near empty as the wet metal which constitutes the floor glistens from the rain's onslaught, reflecting light from the lampposts which attempt to illuminate the obscured environment.

Throughout the heavy storm, not even the trees along the sidewalks have the ability to protect whatever is beneath them, their leaves easily scattering to the ongoing tempest.

 ***Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Vwoosh***

" ***huff***...!"

A lonely and cold domain, filled with water and wind alike. Helplessness should be all one was supposed to feel in this sort of atmosphere; and yet, most can't help but perceive it as relaxing, soothing to the very soul.

Thus is the beautiful world of rain, a realm of solitude and calmness.

 ***Tap*... *Tap*... *Tap*...**

Taking in consideration the violent winds and powerful rain, it's simply natural that only a handful of individuals find themselves out in such an occasion.

Some umbrella-wielders advance through the rainstorm with determination as they rush to their next appointments, unyielding to the will of nature; others stroll much more calmly, merely enjoying the world around them.

 ***Tap*... *Tap***

"..."

And, on the rooftops above, the quiet sounds of footsteps suddenly stop as a hunched figure comes to a halt by the edge of a metallic building, lowering into a crouch as they do so.

Their appearance completely hidden by both a black cloak, its waterproof fabric slightly tattered by the edges, and a similarly colored scarf, wrapped around their neck under the hood in such a way as to cover their entire lower face.

"..."

Carefully, the figure brings their hand up from their place under the cloak, revealing a white, bladeless handle devoid of any sort of guard. Their thumb moves to press the single button placed along the object and then, with a mildly quiet "pshzzz," a small pink blade is ignited, completing what is undoubtedly a laser knife.

The figure carefully analyzes the weapon for several moments as water falls and vaporizes on it nonstop. On their mind is doubt, not cast upon their task, but on whether it is actually achievable with the tools they have.

They lack extensive training with knives; whether such a weapon will be useful today is up to whatever cosmic deity is currently watching over them.

Eventually, the figure shakes their head, deactivating the laser knife and lowering it to beneath the cloak in a single movement. Now is not the time for doubts, that moment is completely lost in the past.

Now is the time to _act_.

With that in mind, the figure points their head towards the giant purple and blue construction on the other side of the Planeptunian square beneath.

The easiest way to describe it is as a massive, dome-like building with a wide linear section completely cut out above its middle, leaving a depression that is somewhat filled by several tall pink "walls" placed one behind the other, none of which actually reach the same height as what is left of the dome by the two sides of the construction.

In other words, a circular building with an unnecessarily complex architecture above its roof, probably categorized as "art," which is known by all as a building of the Guild.

It _is_ impressive-looking, but also sort of wasteful when you take in consideration how much metal it took to build that.

"..."

Dismissing thise musings with a shake of their head, the cloaked figure materializes a pair of binoculars in their free hand and brings it to their face, focusing on the foggy yet sufficiently visible view of the wide stairs leading to building's many automatic doors.

According to what they know, that _lilac-haired girl_ will show up any time now. And when she does... _it'll begin_.

Their grip on the laser knife grows tighter at the thought, perhaps out of nervousness, maybe because of eagerness.

... Most likely nervousness, the figure muses.

Still, they won't let that stop them. This has to be done, after all, either sooner or later.

As such, the figure's eyes continue to point towards the Guild's entrance, simply waiting for the target to show up, completely oblivious to the hunter locked onto her.

This time, they won't simply react to what has been done to them.

This time, they won't wait for more pain before as much as _thinking_ about how to avoid it.

This time, they won't suffer out of pure uselessness before finding a way to squirm out of danger like a worm.

Not today, not again.

"...!"

Violet eyes narrow, the girl's covered lips forming a tight line as the doppelganger finally appears in her sight, carefully climbing the stairs with a black umbrella in her grasp.

It starts now.

 _Because, this time..._

 _'... I'll be the one to act first!'_

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 ***Chapter 4***

 **Fading Princess in the Storm**

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"A... 'doppelganger,' you say?"

"Y-Yes," Nepgear replies with a nod, eyes completely focused on the brunette before her. "I saw her yesterday, she was wearing a black version of my clothes and... a heart hairpin, I think. She didn't really notice me, though."

A massive lie, of course. That doppelganger did _greet_ the Candidate, after all.

 _'At least I got a new weapon out of it... sort of.'_

"Black clothes, huh...?" At the information, a pensive expression crosses IF's features, the girl leaning back on the hallway's white wall, hands hidden in her coat's pockets, as she thinks. "I do have a person in mind... No, rather, there's only one it could have been."

"R-Really...?" Nepgear can't help but ask in the most disbelieving tone possible. Is that it? No vague clues and investigation? She'll just... receive the information she wants?

How... nice. A bit underwhelming, but nice.

"Huh? What's with that 'are you serious' face, roachie?" the brunette question amusedly, a sly smile finding its way to her lips. "Should I apologize for destroying your expectations of a full-blown detective drama?"

"A-Ah!" Just like that, the Candidate flushes in embarrassment, surprise overtaking her features. "Goodness, I wasn't thinking about that!" She was, but IF shouldn't know that! "I'm just... surprised, that's all."

"Oh~?" If the smirk she receives for those words is any indication, the brunette isn't believing her at all. "Then I guess those notes I found in your room quite a while back don't mean anything, huh?"

Nepgear blinks, her blush receding slightly. "Notes...?"

The way a massive grin appears on IF's face almost sends a shiver down the lilac-haired girl's spine.

The brunette doesn't say anything for several moments, as if thoroughly enjoying every millisecond of the Candidate's confused expression, perhaps imagining her reaction to the next words which will sound, whichever they are. And then, after what felt like an eternity to the lilac-haired girl, IF slowly opens her mouth to speak.

"Mr. Gilliam Seed, huh?"

"... Eh?" Nepgear simply stares back confusedly at the smug brunette. "Um, IF, what are you talking ab—AH!" At a sudden realization, her face becomes pure scarlet, the girl's entire body turning to stone in an instant.

Needless to say, IF's grin manages to widen even further. "Man, that was such a nice read! I've never seen so many Mary Sues in the same setting!"

"U-Uh... T-That's..." Nepgear stammers, doing her damnedest to say something, _anything_. In the meantime, the enjoyment displayed on the brunette's face only grows at her struggle.

Seriously, how the heavens did IF even find that old thing?! The Candidate hid it _so well_ in the back of her wardrobe!

 _She should have burned it to ashes instead!_

"Oh, what's wrong~?" the grinning brunette coos, her tone that of pure amusement. "There was sooo much effort put in there! You completed a whopping _three_ sequels before stopping!" At that, the grin recedes into a smirk, unexplainably more smug than the earlier expression. "You ever got around to posting it anywhere~?"

"I-I... Um..."

From IF's voice alone, it's far beyond obvious that she's currently having the time of her life. As for the Nepgear, however...

"A-Ah..." Her face is red. Her breathing is heavy. Her mouth is shaky. Hell, if this were one of those cartoons, she's pretty sure there'd be _steam shooting out of her ears_! "S-Stop..."

 _'Stop it, please...! Goodness, I'm over it already!'_

Seriously! Detectives and writing, she's completely done with both of them!

Robots and engineering are much better, after all!

"J-Just stop..." the panicked girl outright pleads, her voice coming nothing short of pitiful.

... Judging from the cat-like smile on IF's features, however, that was a _terrible_ move.

"What's wrong, roachie~?" the brunette asks in what _has_ to be the most ludicrously devious tone she can manage. "Don't wanna remember the past~?"

Nepgear immediately parts her trembling lips in an attempt to respond, only for no words to come out. Meanwhile, IF simply keeps eyeing the lilac-haired girl expectantly, obviously waiting for something.

What is it she wants? A slip-up, perhaps? A chance to humiliate the Candidate even further?

Maybe just any sort of reply at all, fully expecting the lilac-haired girl to shoot herself in the foot?

Almost automatically, Nepgear retreats two steps, just enough for her back to touch the wall. The blushing girl gulps at all the possibilities, her shaking hands balling into fists out of nervousness alone. Little by little, her gaze descends to the ground, losing its focus as her sight falls on the white floor.

 _'T-This is crazy... She's... She's just too mean...!'_

Seriously, this sort of thing is super-effective on the lilac-haired girl! Does IF even realize the damage she's nonchalantly dishing out?!

"Hehe..." It's then that a quiet chuckle reaches Nepgear's ears, the kind of which simply screams "You're making a fool of yourself and I'm loving every second of it."

It's almost unbearable.

 _'IF_ _is just being so horrible right now!'_

There _has_ to be a way to make her stop, and yet the Candidate can't figure it out at all!

... Well, actually, she _can_ see a way to have the other girl shut up, but there are about a thousand highly logical reasons for her not to _assault_ IF the middle of a random hallway in the Basilicom, or at all, really.

"..."

The fact that Nepgear as much as _thought_ about that possibility raises some serious questions about the state of her sanity.

But she can't worry about that at the moment, the girl concludes with a shake of her head as she continues to eye the floor. For now, she has to deal with the brunette on the upper corner of her vision and _the way she's still giving her that ludicrously smug look, what the goodness!_

 _Seriously, won't IF ever stop?!_

 _'She doesn'teven have the right to say that, what with... Oh.'_

And that's when Nepgear realizes something. A very, _very_ important something.

If it were any other person in front of her, she would undoubtedly remain their little toy until they got tired of her and left.

This, however, is IF, the girl whose past might as well be the lilac-haired girl's present. And, of course, said past isn't without certain... _interesting_ bits.

The brunette is shooting at her for something dumb she did long ago.

 _Then Nepgear just has to shoot back harder._

Mustering up all the courage she can manage, the girl raises her head, amethyst eyes staring deep into emerald orbs. And then, ignoring every single warning from the sane portion of her mind...

The Planeptunian Candidate speaks.

"S-Spiral of chaos, cloud of darkness..."

"Hm?" The brunette raises an eyebrow at those words, smirk still in place as she shoots the Candidate a quizzical look. "Alright, now you got me confused. What's this even about?"

Trying to control her own surging blush, Nepgear continues. "Maker of doom, d-deity of the void..."

Those words don't seem to have any effect on the mildly bewildered girl as she continues to stare at the Candidate. "So, um, should I be recognizing whatever you're... saying..."

It's then that IF trails off, realization gradually appearing on her features.

Taking a deep breath, her face as flushed as it was before, the lilac-haired girl doesn't stop there. "G-Give me the power I need so I may act...!"

"T-That's..." Little by little, a scarlet tint paints the brunette's cheeks. "How...?"

"With your s-strength, a-and your unlimited k-knowledge..." Nepgear takes a nervous gulp, only then resuming. "Aid me in battle...!"

"G-Gear..." at each of the lilac-haired girl's words, the emotion which leisurely overtakes IF's face is undoubtedly panic. "I-I get it, I'll stop, okay...?"

 _'Payback, payback, **payback**...'_

"T-The darkness within me..."

"Hey, y-you won, alright? You can stop now!"

"This p-power in my soul..."

"What the... A-Are you even listening?!"

"A-Allow it to devour all...!"

"Gear! C-C'mon!"

"U-Unleash it!"

 ***BANG***

Nepgear instantly jolts in place as a pair of palms slam against the wall by both of her sides, her eyes widening as much as possible in surprise.

Mere centimeters away, essentially trapping her against the wall, is the brunette, looking as if she had just ran a marathon. Her face is as flushed as the lilac-haired girl's, her breathing is noticeably ragged, and her narrowed eyes display nothing but horror at what she just witnessed.

"Stop," she orders, quite obviously attempting to threaten the Candidate.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... My cursed right arm," Nepgear lets out in a single breath.

At those words, IF's whole body seems to twitch, her eyes widening ever so slightly, and then... she suddenly calms down, her breathing instantly calming down as her glare becomes more controlled, leaving only the red on her cheeks to reveal the embarrassment in her mind.

She _might_ be slightly more than mad right now, the Candidate realizes.

Even so, she doesn't even budge, staring straight into the brunette's eyes with nothing but a neutral expression filled with courage.

... On the outside, that is.

 _'Goodness, goodness, goodness, why did I do that, why did I do that—'_

Internally, Nepgear might as well be punching herself in the face.

 _'Why did I let myself get so into it?! She's totally going to hit me now...!'_

"How...?" the brunette asks, her voice almost desperate. "How do you even know about that...?"

"..."

Only one thing to do now.

 _'In for a penny...'_

The lilac-haired girl exhales, attempting to let out both air and her nervousness. A single drop of sweat trails down her cheek, her own body feeling as much tension as her mind. And then...

She smiles sweetly.

 _'... In for a pound.'_

IF seems to be taken aback by that, her eyes subtly widening.

That's all Nepgear needed.

 _'T-Time to do this...! I j-just need to talk like her, r-right?'_

"Back when you were little," the lilac-haired speaks in a perfectly smug tone, doing her damnedest to prevent her lips from twitching, "you'd sometimes talk a bit too loud when you were playing. Don't blame me for overhearing it."

Had the brunette been in a more stable state of mind, perhaps she would have figured out that the secretly nervous Nepgear was trying to copy her.

Right now, however?

Her narrowed eyes which are slightly wider than usual, her breathing which is slightly too fast, her lips which occasionally twitch at an almost unnoticeable level... The shock hidden amidst IF's otherwise neutral face is enough for the Candidate to know her acting had some sort of effect.

The brunette opens her mouth to speak, only to close it immediately afterwards, frowning at the lilac-haired girl as she seems to regain some measure of posture. With Nepgear's show of fake bravado, it's as if their roles have suddenly reversed, and IF is quite obviously feeling how jarring it is.

The Candidate can't help but feel a tiny little amount of pride at her accomplishment.

 _'I... I did it...!'_

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Of course, now she has to deal with how the two of them are awkwardly looking into each other's eyes amidst the silence, one bearing a smile and the other with a frown as they continue to blush from the sheer intensity of the little game they just played.

 _'W-What the goodness...'_

Fortunately for the lilac-haired girl, after a few moments, IF eventually opens her mouth again. "You—"

And that's when it happens.

 ***Click***

"Huh?" "Eh?"

Instantly, two pairs of surprised eyes turn towards the direction of the sudden noise.

At the end of the corridor, clad in a purple maid outfit bearing a white apron and displaying a scarlet blush all over her face even more potent than those on the pair's cheeks, is a blonde, twintailed girl, staring with wide violet eyes as she holds both her hands behind her in a pose reminiscent of a pacing soldier's.

A quick look is enough to notice quite a few additions to her outfit which make her stand out from most maids in the Basilicom, such as a purple dogoo hairclip holding her right bangs in place, the relatively short skirt which reaches her knees rather than covering her entire legs, a violet headband instead of a headdress, and the pair of purple hair ties which features a pair of small dogoos of the same color each, leaving them in view in front of the twintails.

Still, even with those unique details and her obvious love for dogoos, she's no doubt a Basilicom worker, looking about as nervous as IF was mere moments ago.

But, really, why is she hiding her hands behind her back?

"Um..." Nepgear blinks quizzically at her. "Hello...?"

"Ah!" For some reason, being addressed makes the maid jump in place, her face becoming even redder. "I just... I mean... That is... I... I'MSOSORRY!"

Just like that, the strange girl runs off towards the hallway to her right, disappearing from sight as fast as she appeared, leaving two girls completely and utterly confused as to why.

... Until they realise their position, that is.

Instantly, IF retreats away from the wall—and from the girl leaning on it—before immediately averting her gaze, an action which Nepgear mimics an instant later as their faces grow even redder.

"..."

"..."

To say that things are now even more awkward would be a serious understatement.

"..."

"..."

"S-So!" IF eventually speaks, hesitantly pointing her eyes back towards the other girl. "You wanted to know about the doppelganger, right? Most of what I know is second-hand information, though. Is that good enough?"

"T-That's fine!" Nepgear follows suit, once again focusing on the brunette, before nodding. "Anything helps."

"Great," the brunette nods back, a small smile on her lips. "Just remember to take it with a grain of salt."

"Yes!"

Just like that, a silent agreement is made between by both girls.

 _The past five minutes never happened, and that's final._

"Let's see..." As the blush on their faces slowly fades away, a pensive expression crosses IF's features, the girl bringing a hand to her hip as she speaks. "For starters, she calls herself Nepugia, for obvious reasons. From what I've heard, she's actually pretty diligent, even though she's a bit of a joker. Also, it seems her looks are completely natural, meaning she dresses like you _because_ she looks like you, and not the opposite."

"Is that so...?" The lilac-haired girl can't help but tilt her head quizzically. The doppelganger sounds like a good person, and as for her looks... Well, someone growing up to look like the Candidate isn't exactly out of the realm of possibilities. Still, being told that her lookalike is actually a nice girl only makes some things even more confusing.

At this point, there's only one way to deal with all of her doubts at once, Nepgear realizes. "Is there any way for me to talk to her?"

"... Heh." For some reason, that elicits a smile from the brunette. "I kinda figured you'd want that. Eager to talk to yourself, aren't you?"

"Something like that..."

Asking the doppelganger why she fragbanged her—what with the shrapnel that grenade had—certainly constitutes "talking," after all.

"You're in luck, then!" IF cheerfully replies, her mouth morphing into a pure "I'm so useful, eh?" smirk. "Her schedule is pretty much set in stone. By 9 AM she arrives at the Guild, and around 3 PM she returns with completed quests." Right then, mild realization appears on her features. "Ah, that's around the time we went back yesterday, huh? I guess it makes sense for you to have seen her."

"A schedule, huh...?" As Nepgear mutters that, a smidge of admiration crosses her face. "She sounds like a very organized person."

"It goes a bit beyond that, actually," the brunette immediately responds, shooting the Candidate a smile which just screams she was waiting for her to say that. "Even during a heat haze, a snowstorm or a freaking thunderstorm, that girl _will_ go to the Guild. She might not go back the same day, but she _always_ visits it at least once per day."

At that, violet eyes widen considerably, the lilac-haired girl's mind slowly processing the words she just heard.

 _'She what...?'_

"Why?" Nepgear asks after a moment, her voice coming outright incredulous. "Goodness, why would _anyone_ do that?"

"Well, I don't know about 'anyone,'" IF says, her lips tugging bit more upwards at every word, "but, if you ask me, I'd say she likes that sort of crazy weather."

Needless to say, that answer did absolutely nothing to alleviate the Candidate's confusion. "Likes...?"

"Yup." The brunette nods, her smile still very much in place. "Here's another piece of information on Ms. Lookalike, this one completely for yours truly's observations. That girl, you know..."

Suddenly, a wide, _vicious_ grin overtakes IF's mouth, and then she speaks, in a low, hoarse voice.

" _She's stubborn like a demon_."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"W-What's with that delivery...?"

"Hey, I thought it was nice."

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

That conversation took place three days ago.

With the bits of information she had, Nepgear managed to form a plan without much effort. Buying a disguise off the Internep was quite easy, leaving only the task of waiting for the correct time to act so that she wouldn't be caught red-handed.

 ***Tap*... *Tap*... *Tap*...**

"..."

Thankfully, the girl paid attention to the weather forecast, and thus found the best possible cover in the form of an incoming heavy rainstorm; all that was left then was to wait for it.

With her newly obtained free time, feeling understandably hesitant to go out questing, the Candidate decided to spend a considerable portion of her time practicing both her swordsmanship and throws inside the Basilicom's indoor training grounds.

Fortunately, neither IF nor Compa attempted to have her go out and fight actual monster instead, both focusing on their own lives for the time being.

... She hasn't really interacted properly with those two for quite some time, actually. Maybe she should invite them to an arcade later, when it doesn't look like the sky is falling on Gamindustri.

 ***Tap*... *Tap*... *Tap*...**

"C-Cold...!"

Moving on, Nepgear's exercises led to... absolutely no progress, actually; in the end, she might as well have not trained at all!

... Okay, maybe that's a bit of an understatement, but a couple of hours swinging your sword at nothing and throwing things around don't really prepare you for fighting for your life.

She should probably have spent those days upgrading her weapons instead. At least _that_ would have had some sort of immediate effect.

 ***Tap*... *Tap*...**

"H-Here goes nothing...!"

Back to the subject at hand, the girl waited, and, when the day finally came and ludicrous amounts of water began falling from the heavens, the Planeptunian Candidate didn't hesitate to slip out unseen, aware that no one in their right mind would have actually let her go out during a rainstorm.

It's unfortunate that she has surely earned herself an incoming scolding from Histoire, but everything has its price, she supposes.

 ***Tap *Tap* *Tap***

 _'Now!'_

 ***Vwoosh***

Leaping from one rooftop to the other, Nepgear's black boots hit wet metal with an audible splash alongside a "clang," both thankfully hidden by the loud sounds of the rainstorm. Not wasting time, the girl begins walking parallel to the edge, hunched over as she observes the dirty and thin alley beneath, completely unbothered by the water hitting her black cloak without pause.

The doppelganger is calmly strolling down there, black umbrella still in hand. Although IF said that the girl enjoys this sort of weather, there is no question that she chose to avoid the wind by surrounding herself with two walls.

"...!" Right then, Nepgear flinches as the freezing gust of wind suddenly grows stronger, only to weaken a moment later. She most certainly understands the lookalike's decision; the rain is far more soothing than this wind, after all.

 _'M-Maybe I shouldn't be wearing only a plain black dress under this... It's too thin... N-No, I can't think about that right now...!'_

Forcefully putting those worries in the back of her mind, as difficult as such a thing is amidst a rainstorm, the Candidate instead attempts to focus on what is really important right now.

Violet orbs carefully follow the doppelganger, as if attempting to obtain some sort of information. The doppelganger, meanwhile, continues to walk at a calm pace, completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching her.

 _'Good... If it continues like this, my plan will actually work...'_

Said plan is quite simple, in truth: follow this Nepugia girl until her home, or perhaps until any stop she takes, and ambush her. Since the doppelganger seemed _very inclined_ to run away from Nepgear, the Candidate of Planeptune, before, a disguise was pretty much needed; thus, the cloak and scarf. It's not like assassin-themed garbs are unusual, after all, so she may not flee at first if Nepgear is subtle enough.

That said, going as far as _ambushing_ that girl might sound a bit evil, maybe even uncalled-for, but... Actually, no, scratch that, that's most certainly _not_ uncalled-for. That doppelganger attacked her, and, no matter her reason, trying to approach her normally might lead to a fight.

Maybe even death if she's really out for Nepgear's blood.

It didn't escape the lilac-haired girl's mind, of course, that her plan may also cause a battle if the lookalike decides to strike back; and that's why she prepared herself as much as possible!

In the Candidate's grasp is a laser knife, and nine others are in her inventory, all hastily 3D-printed over the course of an hour before she went out; she probably won't hit anything distant throwing them, but they might help with intimidation.

Meanwhile, her grenades are all ready to be summoned and flung, thankfully requiring far less accuracy than knives in order to cause damage.

Since there's no such thing as too much caution, she also has stored a laser sword completely different from her last one, just to make sure no one makes the connection, and her hood is enchanted not to accidentally fall off unless she allows it to.

... And that's it, her so-called "preparation": just a pair of side-weapons with questionable effectiveness and some extra smoke screening for her identity.

The lilac-haired almost lets out a sigh right then.

That's all she can do, though; the only possible next step would be to find a way to deal with the doppelganger's fragbangs, something which would, if possible, certainly require military-grade equipment. Needless to say, buying something like that would raise questions, particularly from Histoire.

Nepgear isn't exactly eager to deal with either.

As such, if faced with a fragbang, closing her eyes, covering her ears and opening her mouth is the way to go.

 ***Tap*... *Tap*... *Tap*...**

Thankfully, it doesn't seem like she'll have to deal with grenades today. As the heavy rain continues to shower the lilac-haired girl and her steps are drowned by the ambience, the doppelganger beneath remains utterly oblivious to her existence.

 _'Maybe I'm actually more of an assassin than a swordswoman... Goodness, how awkward is that?'_

At that, the Candidate can't help but think of how incredibly easy it was to climb a building and jump from rooftop to rooftop in order to stalk her so-called prey.

... Awkward indeed.

 _'Should I... class-change? No, that's too hasty... But, maybe... Gosh, I'll just think about this later.'_

Well, no matter the case, having that sort of natural talent is nice, she supposes. At this rate, her admittedly simplistic plan will go off without a hitch—

 ***BOOOOOMMMM***

"?!"

... If only.

As the thunder suddenly roars, the Candidate completely freezes in place, as does the doppelganger below. But it wasn't the noise which elicited such a reaction, however; instead, it was clearly the flash of light which came from the skies a mere moment before it.

 _And the way Nepgear's shadow was made very clear exactly in front of Nepugia._

"..."

 _'Goodness, goodness, goodness, darn it!'_

For several instants, it's as if time itself stops for the girls, only the falling rain proving otherwise.

Focusing completely on her lookalike, the Candidate can't help but grit her teeth as she awaits for the other girl to react, heart pounding in her chest. In just a second, any certainty she once held has been evaporated, all because nature decided to screw with her for no reason.

Nepgear _really_ should have seen this coming, shouldn't she?

 _'It's a rainstorm, for goodness' sake, how could I forget about the flashes...?!'_

This is quite amazing, in a way; with a simple oversight, the Candidate pretty much managed to _destroy_ her own plan in unbelievable levels!

She almost takes off running right then and there, only willpower and the vague feeling that she might still be able to deal with the situation keeping her feet in place. She can't just abort the mission now, even if she's honestly a bit terrified now; that'd be way beyond a waste!

Thus, she continues to stare at her lookalike, waiting for _anything_ to happen.

The girl beneath doesn't seem to share her anxiety as she stays still, not a single twitch of nervousness along her body; however, it's not even possible to see her face, so she might as well be horrified for all the Candidate knows.

And Nepgear certainly hopes she is, for her own good.

Said "her" is the cloaked girl herself, obviously.

"..."

Several more seconds pass, and yet nothing changes, much to the Planeptunian Candidate's confusion. Nepugia is still there, unmoving as water continues to hit her umbrella nonstop, bouncing and sliding off its surface.

This just doesn't make sense. Why isn't she running nor attacking? Why is she standing still, even though she knows Nepgear is following her?

Under her cloak, the girl's hold on her knife tightens. Her lookalike is planning something, she just _knows_ it.

Time continues to move, much unlike the doppelganger. A lone leaf passes near Nepgear's face as she continues to watch, but even so—

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _"... Huh?"_

 _The lilac-haired girl blinks several times, and yet her vision doesn't change; it's all darkness, an infinite realm of black._

 _The void._

 _"Huh?"_

 _As if to make sure, she waves her head around, her widened eyes washing over complete nothingness as her unclothed yet featureless doll-like body hovers in place._

 _There's no doubt about it; she's dead._

 ** _"Huh?!"_**

 _... Not that being aware of that answers any questions she has, of course._

 _"Why... How... When?!"_

 _Seriously, **what**?!_

 _It was just so... sudden, there was absolutely no warning, no sounds, no **anything**! What went on back there?! How was she killed?! **Why** was she killed?! **What just happened?!**_

 _This makes no sense! No sense at all! She wasn't fighting, she wasn't being threatened, she was just standing there, staring at that girl, and then she died! It's just nonsensical, confusing, completely and utterly—_

 ** _*SLAP*_**

 _As the sharp crack sounds, Nepgear's head is now completely turned to her left, a bright red mark on her right cheek._

 _'No... I... I need to calm down! I'll probably do something stupid if I don't...!'_

 _Forcing down her panic for a mere moment, the girl takes a deep breath of nonexistent air, unexplainably filling her chest before letting it all out. And again, and again, and again, and again... and again... and... again... and... again..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _'I guess I feel fine enough... Now, I need to think about this calmly. What do I know?'_

 _Her mind considerably calmed down, Nepgear lets her thoughts wander, not as a bored girl with nothing else to do, but as a confused person attempting to understand what the goodness is going on._

 _According to the current situation, and taking into consideration all which is presented before her, the Planeptunian Candidate can safely deduce only one thing..._

 _She's dead._

 _"..."_

 _The girl blinks._

 _'W-Why did I even follow this line of thought...? I know that I'm dead... I want to know **how** this happened...'_

 _Well, time to try another thing, she supposes: remembering!_

 _Focusing on her memories, Nepgear begins to piece together the last moments of her life, fully expecting that to give her some sort of hint to solve this puzzle._

 _Let's see... She spent around a minute carefully eyeing her doppelganger, who stood in place the whole time, and then..._

 _She died._

 _"..."_

 _Well, that wasn't very helpful either._

 _'Goodness, this is just impossible. I was taken by surprise... I can't possibly "remember" what got me.'_

 _Still, there are some assumptions she can safely make, Nepgear muses as she instinctively brings a hand to her chin, eyeing the void with a pensive expression._

 _She was most likely murdered from behind_ — _how strange that she can think of such a thing so calmly_ — _and, fortunately, in an instant manner. Furthermore, the simple fact that she ended up dead_ — _seriously, it's kinda creepy how calm she feels_ — _seemingly proves one of the girl's fears._

 _Nepugia, the supposed nice girl who just so happens to look like the Candidate, is very much willing to shoot first for whatever reason._

 _Perhaps she's being hunted down by someone...? That would certainly explain her willingness to use lethal force._

 _... And also raise even more questions, Nepgear supposes, but she can focus on those later. The point is: that girl is **very much** trouble incarnate._

 _Now, how did the doppelganger kill her? A long-range spell, maybe? In that case, standing still is what sealed her fate, isn't it?_

 _That means the Candidate simply has to keep moving in order to avoid death. Well, unless she's wrong and dies anyway, but in that case she'll just go back to square one._

 _"... Heh, 'square one'?"_

 _The girl can't help but chuckle at that. When alive, she was all sorts of afraid of dying, but, now that it did happen, she can't help but be nonchalant about it. It probably has something to do with the way she went down, though; a painless and sudden death is much better than waiting for your life to fade away with a scythe in your torso_ _._

 _... That said, Nepgear should probably hurry up and go back to a bit before she died. As much as she'd love to stay in this void and rest for a while, that wouldn't do much to help achieve her goal, would it?_

 _As for said goal, it's quite the simple one: she has to find a way to immobilize Nepugia, and then ask her some questions!_

 _'Time to do this...!'_

 ** _*PZZZ* *PZZZ* *PZZZ*_**

 _Right on cue, three electric noises sound, and suddenly the same number of connected pictures, each as big as the girl herself, appear before her. Needless to say, one of them is completely new, featuring her view of the umbrella-wielding doppelganger amidst the rain._

 _A frown mars Nepgear's lips at the sight; it seems she'll return just seconds away from death._

 _'I **will** have time to run from the deadly attack... But, unless I give up and flee, I'll have to fight her anyway...'_

 _How disappointing. She sort of expected being able to return to before she was spotted._

 _Then again, avoiding trouble like that must be "against the rules" in this little game of suffering, what with the inconvenient checkpoints she gets. As such, the Candidate is being forced to fight the doppelganger, unless she's willing to go back to Judge in order to try and change something._

 _"..."_

 _She's not. Obviously._

 _'So this is a Boss Fight, then...'_

 _Following the prologue, it seems Nepgear has finally reached the end of the first stage. Now, all she needs to do is waste as few lives as possible to defeat a_ _girl who undoubtedly has more experience, strength and killing intent than her._

 _The lilac-haired girl instinctively gulps. No_ _pressure at all._

 _'Still... I might be a bit nervous, but... I don't think I'm that afraid.'_

 _It may simply be a consequence of suffering a quick and painless demise, or perhaps a case of appearances, but the Candidate doesn't feel as much fear as she did when faced with Magic and Judge._

 _Her lookalike, Nepugia, is just a normal warrior who got the drop on her, no? Unlike the CFWs, a term relatively new to the lilac-haired girl, the doppelganger is no harbinger of death._

 _Besides, there's a chance that the doppelganger isn't used to fighting other warriors. If that's true, the Planeptunian Candidate's disadvantage will be far less than insurmountable, even if her opponent has some sort of One-Hit Kill attack._

 _In other words, if Nepgear manages to play as shamelessly dirty as the most professional of tricksters do and gain the upper hand, she might actually win!_

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _'Goodness, I'm actually horrible, aren't I?'_

 _Just like that, a sigh sounds amidst the infinite space as the girl's shoulders slump forward. When was her honor murdered, the possible assassin-in-training wonders._

 _'... Then again, I can't exactly do much about it if I want to live.'_

 _Even as those self-deprecating thoughts wander around her mind, however, the frowning girl still reaches out to the desired image without an ounce of hesitation._

 _And a bright crack cuts through the void._

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

"...!"

Unlike her last retry, when she had to deal with her body waking up exactly at the checkpoint, Nepgear's senses come back soon after her consciousness returns.

In other words, heavy rainstorm and freezing wind are her welcoming gift this time around.

... It doesn't feel very nice, the shivering girl muses.

 _'G-Goodness, t-this is t-too m-much... B-But I-I can't worry about t-that right now!'_

Pushing her discomfort to the back of her mind, the girl points her violet eyes towards the lookalike below. As expected, she stays still, holding her black umbrella under the rain.

This is it. It's do or die time, and she already died once. She can't screw this up...!

Well, she _can_ , actually, but she'd very much rather succeed.

 _'I just need to focus... I can't afford to miss the timing...'_

Time continues to move, much unlike the doppelganger. A lone leaf passes near Nepgear's face—

 _'Now!'_

Not wasting time, the girl takes off along the edge of the rooftop, towards Nepugia's general direction. Half a moment later, she flings her knife towards her lookalike, only managing to barely graze her umbrella.

That's more than enough, however.

 ***CRACK*** ***BANG***

Instantly, Nepugia's entire form shatters like glass just as a ludicrously loud noise sounds behind Nepgear.

 _'An illusion! Then...'_

Recalling the thrown knife to her inventory, the girl immediately summons a second one, jumps as she turns around not to accidentally slip on wet metal and throws another knife towards the first shape her eyes meet, only barely missing their form.

 ***Clang***

As Nepgear's feet touch the rooftop, the girl skidding a good two meters before finally stopping, her violet eyes can finally analyze her enemy properly.

Nepugia is standing exactly behind where the Candidate once was, shooting her a stunned gaze while still pointing the so-called "umbrella" at her previous spot.

It only a second for Nepgear to realize the true nature of the object in the doppelganger's grasp; although thin, the whole cable is in truth a long firearm, the umbrella's handle actually that of a gun's which Nepugia once held irregularly in order to protect herself from the rain.

 _'What the goodness, a gunbrella... No, focus! Let's see... It has no magazine, then it's an energy weapon!'_

The Candidate immediately materializes a pair of knives on her hands, holding them visible outside the cloak in an attempt at intimidation.

Meanwhile, the other girl still seems shocked that her attack went wrong, standing completely still as she eyes Nepgear.

Completely... still...

"...!"

Hurriedly, the Candidate flings her left knife at the figure of her opponent, immediately summoning another before turning around just as a shatter sounds—

Open umbrella centimeters away, pointy cable with a hole ready to spew death at her.

And an instant upwards slash from the right knife is enough to point the weapon towards the sky.

 ***BANG***

A moment later, a bright short-ranged blast erupts from the weapon, hitting nothing but the falling rain above. Nepugia looks utterly baffled as she stares into other amethyst eyes, her stance completely broken as she finds her umbrella arm suddenly pointed upwards.

Nepgear takes the chance.

A stab is a stab, amateurish or not, and it's a stab that the girl delivers with her left knife to her opponent's unguarded stomach. The doppelganger lurches forward in surprise and pain alike, even as her mana stops the blade from entering.

 _'Now!'_

Taking advantage of her opponent's stunned state, the Candidate immediately lets go of her knives and reaches for the weaponized umbrella, easily yanking it from her foe's grasp before hurriedly spinning around, holding the weapon with both hands as she envelops it in her own mana—

 ***BAM***

"GAH!"

—and smashing the flat metal of the handle squarely on her foe's face, sending the doppelganger careening to the ground.

Just as she hits the rooftop with a loud "bang" and her body begins to skid on the wet surface, Nepgear doesn't hesitate to let her right hand let go of the firearm and summon a knife. If the so-called umbrella was still surrounded by Nepugia's mana, she could simply protect it and call it back to her inventory. Now, however?

 _'If this thing can kill so easily, I can't let it intact...!'_

 ***PSHHHH***

As Nepgear doesn't will the weapon to be protected, absolutely nothing impedes her laser blade from impaling it and moving along its length, rendering the firearm utterly unusable.

Following that, Nepgear still pulls out the knife and stores the umbrella away; if her foe is unaware of the firearm's state, she might get close and steal it back from the Candidate's hammerspace itself if she has the skills necessary.

A distraction, basically.

Violet eyes immediately point towards the fallen girl, lying on the rooftop with her eyes closed several meters away.

It's almost as if she's defeated...

 ***Vwish***

... Which is why Nepgear immediately throws a knife, materializing a second one to her other hand at the same time.

The weapon strikes the stationary target unimpeded, causing to shatter as expected—

"RAAAAAAARGH!"

—and immediately revealing the real deal only half a meter away, a pair of pink triangular laser blades pointed outwards in each of her outstretched hands, both producing steam out of the falling rainwater as she rushes madly towards the Candidate.

' _Wha—!'_

Half an instant later, the left blade descends before coming back in an upwards slash, forcing the girl to block it with the knife in her hand.

 ***PSHHHH***

 _'S-Strong...!'_

The weapon is almost sent flying from the Candidate's grasp out of sheer power alone the moment the blades touch, revealing to the girl just how strong her opponent is. She doesn't have time to dwell on that, however, as Nepugia hastily follows up by raising her other sword and striking downwards.

"?!"

Without time to summon another knife, Nepgear instead takes hold her foe's wrist, using all her strength to hold it back.

The girl in front of her simply glares straight into identical eyes with all the hate in the world, baring her teeth as if some sort of beast.

 _'G-Goodness!'_

If Nepugia is attempting to intimidate her, she has to admit it's working.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind and attempting to focus only on pushing her opponent back, the girl can't help but notice her hands trembling, pain beginning to burn inside her wrists from the strain. The moment they falter, she'll instantly be slashed, possibly even outright _cut apart_ if Nepugia is strong enough.

She has to something _fast_.

 _Anything works._

As such, she simply leans her head back—

 ***BAM***

"Kuh!" Ghk!"

—and brings it forward in a powerful headbutt, pain blasting through her own head as her enemy's strength falters for a moment, the blades' pressure halting for but a second.

Still, that's all she needed.

Abandoning her only knife as it begins to dematerialize and letting go of Nepugia's wrist, the Candidate reaches out to grasp the doppelganger's head, bringing it down and delivering a knee straight to her face.

Her lookalike immediately recoils at the attack, dazedly attempting to take a few steps back as unfocused yet pained eyes point towards the cloaked girl.

That alone is enough to fill Nepgear with shame for attacking in such a way.

 _'No, I can't stop now...!'_

Even so, hesitation is not a possibility _at all_.

Not missing a beat, the girl dashes towards the nearby doppelganger, intent on causing as much pain as possible.

If she halts her attacks for even a moment, the doppelganger will retaliate.

She'll be _hurt_.

Sensing the danger even amidst her confusion, Nepugia throws an horizontal slash forward, only for the Candidate to easily duck under at the last moment.

No... This girl won't just hurt her.

Nepugia, who is far more powerful, will _end_ her.

Finally within her foe's guard, Nepgear punches the lookalike's stomach as hard as possible, once again forcing her to lurch forward in pain.

"GAH!"

If Nepgear does not attack without mercy, holding onto this unlikely upper hand she has obtained, she'll be _killed_.

If she stops now, _she'll die_.

 _—the girl can clearly feel the scythe embedded deep into—_

 _—her life is extinguished a mere moment after the halberd's handle crushes her, and yet that very moment, that pain, felt almost eternal—_

 **She'll die once again.**

 _ **~snap~**_

"RAAAAHH!" With a loud roar, coming slightly muffled by her scarf, the cloaked girl uppercuts the stunned doppelganger with her other free hand, sending her tumbling back with a pained grunt. Vicious amethyst eyes lock onto the enemy as Nepgear shoots forward once more, punching the lookalike's face before she even has time to react.

"Gah—Dammit!" Nepugia shouts as she recoils yet again, bringing an arm to her face; Nepgear can easily sense she had enough mana to keep anything from breaking, however, meaning all she feels is the pain of the force which went through.

Not that such a thing matters to the Candidate at the moment.

 _'I won't lose, I won't lose, I won't lose, I WON'T!'_

She advances one more time, intent on repeating the same process as many times as it takes. Raising her fist, the girl prepares to deliver a downwards blow to her enemy's head.

The attack does hit its target.

 ***CRACK***

... Except it wasn't the correct one.

"DAMN YOU!"

Instead, an enraged Nepugia is now to the side of where she once was, swinging a blade of hers towards Nepgear. Without anything to stop her momentum, the girl simply keeps going forward, towards the slash.

In an instant, pure fear overtakes her features.

She'll die.

 _'No... NO!'_

Without options, the Candidate simply follows her instinct.

Focusing mana on her hand...

 _She punches the blade._

 ***PSSSH***

A burning pain attacks Nepgear's hand, the effect of her reckless move making itself clear as she feels her protective mana, her own HP, diminishing considerably.

"What the—"

Still, the effect is as instantaneous as the shock on Nepugia's face as the sword escapes from her grasp, being thrown several meters away.

Not allowing herself to be distracted by her success, finally granted some breather, the Candidate summons knives on both hands and places her feet on the ground as she forces herself to rotate whilst skidding to a halt, flinging both weapons at her supposedly distracted enemy mid-spin, aware of the impossibility to miss at such distance as long as the timing of the throws is correct.

Fortunately, timing is one of Nepgear's fortes.

 ***CRACK***

"...?!"

She's not particularly surprised that yet another illusion shatters, of course. The fact that her enemy suddenly appears exactly to her left, grasping her remaining weapon in her right hand, isn't anything to gasp for either.

What _does_ surprise the Candidate, however, is to see her supposedly stronger foe not even attempting to attack, instead opting to run by her as fast as possible and, as amethyst eyes follow her figure as it slowly fades amidst the rainstorm's fog, not even bothering to collect her sword from the ground.

 _'Even if I follow her, she still beats me in stamina... No, I won't give up just yet!'_

Without a second thought, Nepgear takes off in pursuit before Nepugia mansges to disappear, not forgetting to lower herself to grab her enemy's weapon as she runs by it—as fate would have it, the doppelganger was distracted enough not to recall it instantly.

It seems the Planeptunian Candidate won't even need to use her new laser blade.

... Or so she thought, but, as the weapon dematerializes in bright sparkles an instant before she can claim it, the lilac-haired girl has to remind herself that her opponent wouldn't be _that_ forgetful.

As such, she simply summons a black, cylindrical handle as she continues to dash through the wet—and thankfully connected—rooftops above the alley. With the press of a button, a sharp *hiss* sounds as a violet glowing blade is ignited, its shape a long, thin cylinder as it occasionally twitches amidst the falling rain.

"Goddammit, you're just insane!" the doppelganger yells, panic clear in her voice as she continues to flee. "I'm not her, dammit! You were expecting Nepgear, _but I goddamn ain't her, so leave me alone_!"

 _'Huh...? She thinks I'm mistaking her for me? Why—No, can't think about that. I'll just sort this out afterwards!'_

Violet eyes focus on nothing but the fleeing lookalike; the girl is about six meters away now, and the distance will undoubtedly begin to increase as soon as the Candidate's stamina begins to reach its end.

She _has_ to find a way to stop her.

Materializing a knife in her left hand, the Candidate immediately flings it at Nepugia—

"... Darn."

—only to miss the running girl by whole three meters to the side.

"Are you serious?! Your aim's that bad?!" the lookalike shouts in disbelief, glancing back at her pursuer.

 _'I just can't hit her with a knife at this range. Then...!'_

This time, the object which appears in Nepgear's hand is a small black sphere, adorned by what appears to be a series of covered holes along its body.

A flashbang.

 _'Can she dodge **this**?'_

Summoning up all her strength, the Candidate throws the grenade towards her opponent; as long as it lands near Nepugia, this will be her win!

"Wait, that's—" The doppelganger's eyes widen significantly as they follow the sphere, undoubtedly recognizing what it is. "Ah, what the hell!"

A smirk nearly finds its way to Nepgear's lips as she watches the other girl panic. She got this! She won! Nepugia can't possibly evade that and continue to flee! Nepugia will either attempt to halt or outrun the flashbang's range, and she'll take some damage either way, allowing the Candidate to catch her! Nepugia is done for! Nepugia is _lining herself with the grenade's trajectory_?

 _Turning around and skidding along the wet metal to a halt_?

 _Jumping as high as possible_?

 ** _Taking the grenade in her free hand_**?!

As she rapidly approaches the other girl, Nepgear almost can't believe what her widened amethyst eyes are watching.

Did the doppelganger just do her job for her?

Hastily, the Candidate drives her mana towards the grenade, willing the spells inside to burst forth just as she readies herself for—

Her mana isn't reaching the flashbang.

Panic makes itself known amidst the girl's features.

 _Why isn't her mana reaching the flashbang?!_

It's only when her foe is merely three meters away, flashbang in hand and a smirk growing on her face, Nepgear realizes it.

 _'She cut off my connection!'_

That's it can only be it. She encased that grenade in her own mana, effectively stealing the trigger!

 _How did Nepgear not notice her own weapon's weakness?!_

 _'Still, I that's not all I have...!'_

Not stopping for a moment, the Candidate performs a running slash at her opponents figure, fully aware of its status as an illusion—

"Wha—" "Heheh..."

—only to be proven completely wrong as Nepugia ducks under the slash.

 _'No! I let my guard dow—'_ "GAH!"

Before she can react, the doppelganger slashes at the dashing girl's back, the simple attack taking up as much as 10% of her HP at once and sending her down out of sheer surprise alone.

Nepgear can only wince as she falls face-first on metal, skidding along its glistening surface to a not-so-painful stop.

"...!"

Without wasting time, the girl hastily scrambles up to a crouch, turning around at the same time as she raises in order to deliver a slash, fully expecting her Nepugia to take advantage of her situation.

Of course, she doesn't feel particularly surprised when the lookalike decides to simply run by her once more, a wide grin on her features as she steers completely clear of the other girl's attack.

 _'Goodness, what's her deal...?!'_

Immediately, Nepgear turns towards the once again fleeing girl—

 ***Clang*... *Clang* *Clang***

"Huh?"

Throwing a quick glance behind her, the Candidate proceeds to scan the view as fast as possible—

There's a sphere on the ground, still rolling from its supposed fall.

Nepgear freezes.

 _She knows what this is._

 _'No, no, no, no, no—'_

Hastily, the girl reaches for it, attempting to do the same as the lookalike.

Sadly, some things simply don't go as planned.

 ***BOOOOOOOM***

"AAAAAAHHH!" Nepgear can only scream frantically as she's sent flying by the unprecedentedly powerful explosion, both her sword and her sense of direction completely lost as she spirals through the air. Faster than her mind can process, just like a ragdoll, she falls on the metallic rooftop.

 ***CLANG*** "GAH!"

At the impact, her body once again raises, not losing its speed as it descends once more.

 ***CLANG*** "KUH!"

This time she doesn't bounce, instead rotating whilst sliding on her back along the surface drenched by the rainstorm.

 _'I... need to do... something!'_

The girls attempts to call back her laser sword, only to realize she can't feel it anymore. It seems that, amidst the explosion, she lost her focus, basically letting go of the weapon in all senses.

 _'And it was still new...'_

Without other options, even as her speed begins to slow down gradually, the girl still summons a laser knife to her right hand and stabs it in the metallic rooftop.

As expected, there is almost no resistance, but, as she rotates nonstop and her body faces much more friction each time it passes by the virtually endless spiral cut, it takes much less time for her to come to a near stop.

 _'Goodness, that... that was a normal frag grenade, right? It... hurts... but I can't stop now...!'_

Scrambling to her feet, even as a wave of pain shoots through her whole being, Nepgear shoots forward even before spotting her target, only afterwards noticing the fleeing Nepugia quite far, perhaps ten meters away, almost completely hidden by the fog.

And then... she _falls._

 _'Huh?! What did she... Ah, that's right!'_

Slowly directing herself nearer to the rooftop's edge, the Planeptunian Candidate glances at the alley beneath.

Her sight is mostly expected: the limit of the walls encasing the thin corridor is rapidly coming nearer, that much is clear for her eyes; however, she can't see what comes afterwards, the rainstorm and heavy mist essentially blocking her view.

 _'It_ _doesn't matter. I wouldn't stop anyway...!'_

Forcing her body to its limit, ignoring every single one of its protests, the Candidate attempts to run faster, or at least maintain her speed, as she approaches the farther edge of the building.

And then, just as she's near it...

 _'Here... goes... nothing!'_

Nepgear leaps forward.

"... Ah."

Of course, it's about then that the girl remembers as she stares at the _street_ below.

The buildings behind her have three stores.

 _'This won't be very nice...'_

Soon enough, her impulse comes to an end and gravity does its part, pulling the Candidate down towards the concrete.

 ***BAM***

"Kuh...!"

Thankfully, even with her low HP, as the girl impacts the ground and descends into a crouch, the pain is considerably bearable.

 _'It still hurts, though... Ow...'_

Forcefully ignoring her aching body, Nepgear directs her view forward, only to see a tall fence and, on the other side, several trees, bushes and other flora strewn around the grassy field. Following the sight to the left, her eyes soon spot a stone archway leading into the enclosed area, its metallic gate wide open and a simple name on its top.

As she reads it, a minuscule smile crosses the cloaked girl's lips.

"That's right. This is..."

 **PLANEPTUNIAN CENTRAL PARK**

So that's why it felt somewhat familiar, huh...?

 _'The fence is new and there are lots of new plants, but it didn't change that much... Goodness, why am I thinking about that right now?"_

Quickly, violet eyes scan the surroundings, frantically searching for the the fleeing girl.

 _'There!'_

Fortunately, it doesn't take long to spot her, blade nowhere to be seen as she runs through the park's entrance pathway, already having passed the archway and heading deeper into the area.

Without wasting more time, the Candidate raises to her feet before running—

 ***HOOOONK***

"WHA—" ***BAM***

Before she can as much as react to the sudden noise, a powerful impact hits the girl's back, forcing the knife out of her grasp as she's launched forward.

 _'Not again...!'_

Her body impacts the ground much faster than last time, a scratching sound cutting through the air as Nepgear comes to a halt on the drenched street, her body burning in pain even as the rain falls on her body. A moment later, a "clang" sounds from somewhere nearby, no doubt her lost weapon.

"Ow... Argh..." Slowly, the girl moves her head towards the side of the road, if only to check on something; right there in front of her fallen self is the archway, and Nepugia's figure is still very much visible through the fog.

 _'Thank... goodness...'_

Scrambling to her feet, even as her breathing is ragged and every single part of her screams in protest, the Candidate throws a glance at what hit her. Several meters away is the culprit: an unidentifiable car with its lights on, housing the silhouette of a lone person inside it, undoubtedly too busy staring at her in shock to properly apologize.

Not that a simple apology would have cut it, Nepgear silently muses as she grits her teeth in pain.

 _'I shouldn't be on the street... But don't speed during a rainstorm... Darn it...'_

It's simply too bad that she doesn't have time to lecture the irresponsible driver. Instead, the girl shoots out towards the park, passing the archway in a matter of instants as she pursues the shadow of her target in the heavy mist.

 _'I can still see her... She's about... twelve meters away? Ten? Well, as long as she's visible, I still haven't lost...!'_

As her feet touch a stone path, and eventually grass itself, Nepgear can't help but think about her situation. She took far too much damage, leaving her mana protection at nearly 32%; Nepugia, on the other hand, is at approximately 60%, as the Candidate could feel back when they were close on the rooftops.

Her onslaught was considerably effective, it seems. That doesn't change how she's at an horrible disadvantage here, however.

 _'Should I transform...? No, she'd just use up whatever mana she has left on an illusion and escape. As long as she believes she'll outrun me, Nepugia will just keep running...! I just need to find a way to end this before she decides to disappear for real!'_

Of course, Nepgear is sort of assuming that the fleeing girl isn't a fake, but that's a relatively safe bet; from what she knows, it takes ludicrous amounts of effort to make an illusion move. Thus, chances are she's following her actual target, leaving only the task of actually reaching her.

However, even if the Candidate manages to do that, this will still be dangerous. _Stupidly so_ , she muses with a frown.

... Then again, she can't just give up at this point, can she?

As such, the cloaked girl continues to follow her doppelganger's black figure through the grassy area amidst falling rain and powerful wind, willfully ignoring every single one of her body's signs that she's basically done for. It might seem hopeless, an impossible task even, but, as she dashes towards her foe, Nepgear swears she's actually getting closer to her.

A moment later, the girl realizes that, indeed, she _is_ getting closer to her.

Ten meters of distance become eight, and soon five. Nepugia is undoubtedly running slower, even though her stamina can't possibly be spent if _Nepgear_ , of all people, still has something to burn. Filled with suspicion, the Candidate also begins to diminish her speed, if only to maintain a safe distance between the two of them.

And then, as nothing but three meters separate the girls, the doppelganger comes to a halt, with the other girl doing the same after an instant.

By now, Nepgear is very much aware that something is _wrong_.

 _'What is she planning...?'_

If she were sure that the figure before her is an illusion, there's no doubt that the Candidate would have thrown a knife long ago. However, it's a fact that Nepugia's chest is quite clearly moving as she breathes tiredly; not as much as Nepgear's chest, of course, as the girl in question is far more exhausted, but just enough to be easily noticeable.

It's that which makes the cloaked girl stand her ground instead of attacking, summoning a pair of knives to her hands as she eyes the lookalike; if she's moving, then she's the real deal.

And if she's the real deal, there's no doubt that she has a _plan._

Against her better judgement, the girl finds herself being filled with nervousness at that; the situation is quite clear, after all: a wrong step and she might walk straight into death.

"... Heh," Nepugia eventually chuckles, slowly turning around to face the so-called assassin with a wide smirk. "You sure are careful for some half-assed killer, y'know?"

"..." Nepgear simply narrows her eyes as she glares at her foe, her hands gradually tightening around the knives' handles

 _'I'm the killer, now...?'_

"Let's be real, it's preeeetty obvious what you're thinking right now," Nepugia continues nonchalantly, bringing a hand to her hip and leaving another by her side as she adopts a casual, unprotected stance. "You're sure I got a plan, since I'm right here front of ya, acting like I wanna feed your K/D. You know it's the real me since I'm moving, talking and it's hard as hell to make an illusion do that."

"..."

She's completely correct, of course. Still, those words only fill the Candidate with dread; her foe basically just admitted to having a plan.

Still, what can it possibly be? Just like the doppelganger said, it's very much improbable that this girl constantly in motion is an illusion; as such, Nepgear just can't imagine what she plans to do by exposing herself to danger like this—

"You're forgetting one little, tiny detail, though," the lookalike suddenly interrupts those thoughts, her smirk growing by the second.

"...?" By now, the Candidate's heart is pounding far faster than when she was running, grim expectation taking hold of her mind. This is just a bluff, isn't it? It can't be anything else, she's sure of it!

"Hehehehe..."

The giant grin which appears on her enemy's features, however casts much more than a little doubt on that idea.

" _'Improbable' and 'impossible' are totally different_."

"...!"

Just like that, Nepgear's eyes widen to their maximum extent, a freezing chill descending her spine as it clicks.

It can't be.

 _It can't be._

 ** _It can't be._**

And, if the previous words were enough for the Candidate's blood to run cold, _the next ones almost stop her heart._

"Got ya~" Nepugia cheerfully declares, her mouth forming the smuggest of smiles, " _ **EXE Drive: Fading Princess!**_ "

 _'N-No, you won't...!'_

At that, Nepgear instantly flings one of her knives at the _breathing_ and **_moving_** girl before her, fully expecting her to deflect it, surely before countering.

 ***CRACK***

 _'Nonononononono—'_

As the doppelganger shatters, the panicked lilac-haired girl realizes.

She _knew_ that was an illusion, it was beyond obvious from the moment Nepugia opened her mouth! And yet...

 _'Why did I **hope** she was the actual one...?!'_

Seriously, that was nothing short of stupid, idiotic, _useless_!

Frantically, the girl turns around, her eyes meeting nothing but rain and unnaturally heavy mist. A glance to her right reveals the same, just as the one to her left which follows. Panic nearly dominating her mind, Nepgear shoots a last look towards the where the doppelganger once stood, only for the result to stay the same.

This isn't normal at all. The fog is outright opaque, and the Candidate is sure it wasn't like that a moment ago.

 _'Fading... Princess...'_

There is nothing but grass on the ground, and the fog hides anything else; it's as if she's completely isolated from the world, with no one to save her.

This is what that EXE Drive does; it manipulates one's perceptions to make them feel trapped! And in the middle of the park, during a foggy rainstorm, doing so is far easier than in normal circumstances.

 _Nepgear stupidly walked right into a trap._

 ***BANG***

"Wha—AH!"

The Candidate doesn't have time to react as something _burning hot_ hits her shoulder from behind, sending her tumbling forward.

"Ugh..." the girl can only let out a pitiful sound as her face contorts in pain.

That took 2% of her HP in one instant.

 ***BANG***

"GAH!"

A black energy bullet hits her other shoulder, this time from the front, forcing the girl back and almost to the ground.

Yet another 2%.

" _Hahahahahahaha_!" a laugh sounds, its sound coming from everywhere at once. " _This is just too good_! _I can't believe you fell for it, you dumbass_!"

"Huh?!" At the voice, Nepgear desperately waves her head around, searching for _any_ signs of life through the mist, and yet she finds nothing, the rainstorm encroaching her to an almost claustrophobic level.

And then, just as her focus on all senses reaches its peak...

 **...*rustle*...**

"?!"

Instantly, the girl turns towards the quiet noise—

 ***BANG***

"AAAAHH!"

—only to let out a scream of pain as a shot hits right between her eyes, sending her falling to the ground.

 _'This can't be happening...!'_

The moment her focus returns an violet eyes stare at the gray above, the girl hastily scrambles to her feet, her entire body struggling to stand as she once again attempts to scan her surroundings.

" _Seriously, who the hell follows an enemy around to a secluded spot_?!" Nepugia's voice comes from all sides, mocking the Candidate with glee. " _What sort of blind idiot wouldn't see this coming_?!"

"..."

She's completely correct, Nepgear realizes.

The correct choice back when she was spotted was **_retreating_**.

 _'Why didn't I run...? Why didn't I flee?! Of course I can't do this, I'm...'_

 ***... rustle...***

"!"

The grass, several meters behind—

 ***BANG***

"KGH...!"

Before she can even turn around, the shot hits right behind her knee, forcing the girl's leg to fold as her body forcefully kneels amidst the pain.

Nepgear grits her teeth, tears pooling into her eyes. This is just too hard... That girl is too strong for her!

 _'Then again... Is there **anyone** who isn't too strong for me...?!'_

" _Awww, c'mon_! _Giving up already_?" the doppelganger asks from the fog, her voice dripping with satisfaction. " _And here I thought you were some kinda hotshot_! _Man, they sure didn't send the right person, huh_?"

As the girl slowly and painfully raises back to her feet, she doesn't even register those words.

She needs to transform. Capturing Nepugia doesn't matter anymore, _she needs to transform_.

But... she can't! As her wide eyes stare out into the heavy mist, as breathing feels _painful_ as her chest burns, Nepgear is simply _too scared_ to access HDD!

It's pitiful, it's outright disgusting, and yet...

 **... *rustle*...**

She doesn't even attempt to spot the lookalike this time.

 ***BANG***

And a bullet hits her back, eliciting a pitiful whimper as the girl falls on her knees, letting go of both her knives.

 _'It hurts...'_

It's impossible. She can't take it anymore. This was a mistake. _Everything_ was a mistake.

 _'It hurts...'_

The disembodied voice begins to laugh as she still raises from tthe ground, no doubt in amusement at how useless she is.

 _'It hurts...'_

 **... *rustle*... *BANG***

Another attack, this one impacting her stomach. The girl instinctively lurches forward, but her pained shout is lost in her throat.

 ***BANG***

"GAK!"

If it was still there, however, it was surely destroyed by the following shot from the same spot to her neck, only the remainders of Nepgear's mana preventing it from being lethal.

Not that it matters now.

 _'It hurts...'_

She lost. It's over.

No... As the so-called Candidate brings both hands to hug her body in a vain attempt to obtain some comfort, she realizes.

It never began in the first place.

 _'It hurts...'_

Once again, she'll face her demise just like the useless girl she is: because of something she brought unto herself.

 _'It hurts...'_

Nepgear will die.

 _'It hurts...'_

Her entire body screams for her to stop, and her mind is almost broken by horror. Nothing can be done now.

Nepgear _will_ die.

 _'It hurts...'_

Nepgear will be _killed_ one more time, feeling nothing but defeat as her body crumbles.

 _'It hurts...'_

Nepgear will feel _every single ounce of pain_ as her life fades away.

 _'It hurts...'_

 ** _Nepgear will die._**

 ** _All because she's useless._**

 _'It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts...'_

 **—her life fades, cold creeps up her body—crushed, all the pain comes at once—encroached by the slimes, she can't as much as breath as her body slowly—the scythe doesn't feel uncomfortable, and that only adds to her horror—it happened at once, and yet it felt like an eternity—no lives were lost, but no matter how much she fought—she sees shock on the woman's face, but that doesn't change what is happening—her own mistake led to death, a painful and horrible—having air, her lifeline, taken away was far beyond harrowing—**

 **She'll feel horrible pain.**

 **She'll feel her life fade away.**

 **She doesn't want to feel it. She doesn't want to feel that unbelievable terror.**

 **Not again.**

 **Not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again!**

 _ **'Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts—'**_

 _ **~SNAP~**_

 **... *rustle*...**

Automatically, her head turns towards the sound, not an instant after it made itself known.

 ** _'She'll kill me, she'll kill me, she'll kill me, SHE'LL KILL ME!'_**

Her enemy is right there, about to shoot.

It'll hurt if she shoots.

 ** _She won't shoot._**

A materialization, a fast movement of her hand. A sphere without holes shoots out to the spot, and then—

 _ **'Blast, blast, blast, blast!'**_

 ***BOOOMM***

—an explosion sounds immediately after, a bright light cutting through the fog.

No shot comes, but no screams either.

 **... *rustle*...**

 **"!"**

Another fragbang flies at the noise.

 ***BOOOMM***

No attack, but no signal her enemy was hit either.

 ** _'Not enough, not enough, not enough, not enough!'_**

Another sphere flies, this time to a random direction. And another. And another. And another. And another.

 ***BOOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOM***

 _ **'More, more, more, more, more, more!'**_

One explosion after another sounds, and yet the girl doesn't stop. Eventually, she begins throwing ordinary flashbangs alongside her fragbangs, if only to use more ammo.

 ** _She should have made a hundred._**

A blast. Another. And another. The explosions drown the rainstorm itself, covering the world around the girl in light.

It seems pointless, but she doesn't stop.

Her enemy isn't mocking her, so it **_has_** to be doing **_something_** , even if only chipping away at that girl's HP.

And yet, ** _it's not nearly enough._**

Where is the pain, where is the victory, **_where are the screams_ _?!_**

Grenades continue to fly without any sort of retaliation. Twenty becomes thirty, and then fifty, all without a single sign of a direct hit.

And then...

 ***BOOOOM*** "KYAAAAHH!"

 ** _'Found you, found you, found you, FOUND YOU!'_**

Nepgear doesn't waste time, dashing madly towards the scream as she continues to fling grenades.

Or at least she would... had she not realized that all which is left is a pair of flashbangs.

 **"DAMMIT.** **..!"**

As such, the girl simply rushes through the fog, completely unarmed, searching for her prey.

It doesn't take long to find her.

 ** _'Got you...!'_**

There is the doppelganger, standing on shaky legs with a hand on her head. The expression on her face is a pained, somewhat unfocused one as wobbles left and right, quite obviously affected by the damage she took.

 **Perfect.**

Letting out a loud roar, Nepgear speeds up towards her enemy, her crumbling body's pain long forgotten.

Nepugia notices her instantly, eyes widening almost hilariously as she attempts to bring up the hand by her side, no doubt to summon a sword.

Their distance is one meter.

The doppelganger has no chance.

 _ **'TAKE THIS!'**_

Using up every single ounce of her strength, the Candidate drives her right fist into the lookalike's cheek, the fleshy sound of the impact almost as loud as the rainstorm itself.

The effect is instantaneous.

Nepugia doesn't even manage to scream as she's sent spiraling towards the ground. Hitting grass with a loud "thud," her form still rolls for several meters more, eventually coming to a complete stop on her back as closed eyes face the rain from above.

At once, with the spellcaster defeated, the fog loses its unbearable opacity, revealing dark silhouettes of the surrounding area amidst the rainstorm.

 **"*huff*... *huff*..."**

And, in the end, Nepgear is left with her fist still outstretched, drenched in sweat alongside rainwater and letting out heavy breaths as she stares at the mostly motionless figure of her foe.

Slowly, the girl straightens herself, bringing both hands to her sides as she continues to eye Nepugia's form, noticing how her chest raises and falls even as she remains otherwise motionless.

It certainly looks like she's unconscious, the strain of using her spells and inflicted pain alike luring the doppelganger to the realm of dreams.

 **"..."**

The Candidate summons a sphere to her hand, one of her last flashbangs, and throws it at the other girl. Unimpeded, it softly hits her enemy's arm before simply falling to the grass, the grenade never exploding during the process.

The lookalike never shatters, either.

And then...

 _"... Heh."_

A smile.

 _"Hehe... Hehehe..."_

Quiet chuckles manage to make their way out of the tired Candidate's lips, relief gradually taking over her mind.

It's over. This time, for real.

"Hehehe... Hahaha..."

She did it. She beat Nepugia.

"Hahahaha... Hahahahahaha..."

 ** _She won._**

 **"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** Nepgear throws her head back as she continues laughing, nothing but elation in her thoughts. In the end, the weak Candidate managed to do it! Even though she was essentially broken, even though her enemy had the upper hand in every single way possible, _**she managed to defeat her!**_

It's **amazing!** It's **incredible!** Nepugia couldn't beat **Nepgear at her worst!**

 _What does that make her, then?!_

 **"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** and so, the girl can only laugh! What just happened is outright **hilarious!** It's **stupid** , **ludicrously stupid** that the Nepgear, quite probably one of the **weakest fighters in all of Planeptune,** just managed to defeat someone who is essentially a **professional bounty hunter!**

 _This time, the joke's not on her!_

 **"HAHAHAH, HAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

Seriously, what happened?! Did Nepugia **hesitate**?! Did she **lose her killing intent** during the fight?!

Well, she **_did_** avoid simply gunning the Candidate down with Fading Princess, didn't she?! Hell, going back a little more, this lookalike was outright **_cautious_** with her attacks! No desperate headbutts, no frantic scratching, no animalistic biting, no brutal punching, and that grenade didn't even get **_close_** to ending her life, what with the amount of HP she still had!

Aside from that first attack, **_it's as if this coward didn't want to kill her at all!_**

 **That's just so funny!** The doppelganger **refrained** from hurting her too much during the fight! Nepgear, meanwhile, could have probably **_murdered_** this girl during the last onslaught!

 ** _'That's right, hahaha! I almost killed her! She's so weak, so weak, so weak! So much... weaker..._** _than me...'_

"Hahahaha... Haha... Ha..."

Gradually, the girl's laughter comes to an end, leaving her gasping for air as her eyes still focus on the dark skies above.

Slowly, Nepgear lowers her head, sight once again focusing on the fallen girl. Her clothes are still as intact as the Candidate's cloak, both protected by their manas until the very end, but it's obvious by the doppelganger's contorted expression that she feels pain.

"..."

A step forward, and then another. Little by little, Nepgear approaches her former opponent, all the while eyeing her form.

The Candidate's smile is empty now, and thus she lets it fade.

 _'What... did I just do...?'_

Nepgear comes to a halt a step away from Nepugia, her mind filled with confusion and... horror?

No... She feels no horror. Instead, that dark, twisted pride is still there. Even though she shouldn't, the Candidate still feels _great_ for defeating a more powerful foe.

And if _that_ should make her feel horrible... _it simply doesn't_.

 _"I... I did this..."_ the girl quietly whispers, wonderment and dread alike in her voice.

She won, that much is without a doubt.

The reason why she could grasp victory is obvious: _Nepugia didn't kill her_.

Although the lookalike surely _could_ , and she even _did_ before, there was simply no killing intent during the rest of fight after that preemptive strike of hers. Instead, the doppelganger refrained from using more brutal attacks, sticking to her weapons and never losing control.

Even though she had the ability to do so, Nepugia hesitated several times to heavily wound her opponent.

Nepgear, meanwhile, _didn't._

 _That's_ what finally brings horror to her mind.

She didn't hesitate _at all_ during the whole fight. She didn't hesitate in the slightest to attack like an _animal_ , she hesitate to try and _hurt_ her opponent as much as possible, and, when she finally lost control, she didn't hesitate to embrace whatever her mind had become.

Because, if she _did_ hesitate for a moment, Nepugia would hit back _hard_ and _finish her off_.

Or, at least, that's what she kept thinking during the battle.

 _'I hurt her... because I was afraid of getting hurt...'_

There is no doubt in that statement, because Nepgear _knows_ what she felt.

She was afraid. Afraid of the pain, afraid of the very prospect of fighting; and so, she attacked whenever she could, however she could, so that everything would come to an end faster.

That means she's a good warrior, right? Focusing completely on the battle and forcing an improbable victory is commendable, right?

She attempted to kill another person without a second thought, so that makes her a proper and determined fighter...

... Right?

"..."

Nepgear doesn't know. As she stands here in the rainstorm, staring at the fallen body of the foe she bested, the girl simply doesn't know.

Slowly, her head raises to the sky, unfocused violet staring into lifeless gray as a freezing wind hits her cloaked body.

She won, this is undoubtedly pride she feels... So why doesn't it feel like a victory?

"..."

If she expected an answer from the cloudy heavens, it never does come.

Instead, all which happens is that water hits her face and scarf alike, never quite managing to reach the black dress beneath her cloak.

 _'This rain... It just won't end today, will it...?'_

The girl lets out a soft sigh, her gaze once again descending to the fallen girl. Her worries, her doubts... They're far too many and far too big at the moment. She can't possibly deal with them right now, not when she has something to focus on.

 _'I should take her somewhere...'_

With a new goal in mind, the girl takes a step forward, her boot accidentally brushing against Nepugia's foot—

 ***CRACK***

"...?!"

She shattered.

 _She shattered._

 ** _Why did she shatter?!_**

 _'Darn it, darn it, darn it, darn it!'_

Her whole being now filled with panic, Nepgear attempts to spin around summoning a pair of knives—

"That really hurt, you know?"

"!"

Only for a familiar laser blade to be placed mere millimeters away from her scarf-covered neck, just as a body presses against her back.

Heavy breathing makes itself known right beside the Candidate's head, no doubt coming from the doppelganger.

 _Nepgear lost._

 _'Goodness, why did I avert my eyes for a moment...?!'_

"You're really insane, you know...?" the lookalike speaks, her voice filled with frustration. "I mean, you got any idea how hard it is to pull out illusions when I'm all broken like this?"

"..."

The Candidate grits her teeth, holding herself back from committing any rash action. This is bad... Very bad...

"Really..." Nepugia breathes out, her exasperation growing by the second. "You ASIC people nowadays are just _unbelievable_!"

"...?!"

Just like that, Nepgear's eyes widen, her interest completely caught by those words.

 _'ASIC...?'_

"Seriously, you idiots break Gamindustri for some _stupid deity named like a final boss_ , capture the CPUs like that wouldn't screw up the governments at all, keep breaking Gamindustri for the freaking hell of it, _and then you still confuse me for Nepgear?!_ You guys are just _dumbasses_!" the lookalike outright screams into the Candidate's ear, eliciting more than a few winces from her. "And _you_ , Mr. Assassin..."

As she says that, Nepgear can feel Nepugia's hand grasping her hood from above.

What is about to happen is obvious, the girl nervously realizes.

"You..."

The doppelganger's grip tightens, crumpling the hood considerably.

"Are..."

Frantically, the Candidate attempts to form a plan, trying to guess how the lookalike will react.

"SO! ANNOYING!"

With that shout, Nepugia pulls away the hood, its enchantment doing nothing to keep it in place when faced with brute strength.

"NOW, LEMME SEE YOUR UGLY... face..."

"..."

What follows is utter and complete silence as the doppelganger no doubt attempts to process what her eyes are seeing.

"A-Ah..."

Eventually, the sword keeping Nepgear in place starts to shake, and the girl can feel the lookalike's entire body doing the same. Panic is setting in, there's no other explanation.

As for the Candidate herself, filled with both nervousness and awkwardness...

 _'Now!'_

 _She takes the chance._

Reaching for Nepugia's sword hand, Nepgear effortlessly pulls it away, twisting the stunned girl's arm behind her back. Forcing her to let go of her weapon with some pressure, she then wraps a free arm around her adversary's neck in a move she has seen thousands of times on the TV, effectively switching their positions.

With her pitiful level of skills, it would have never worked on a normal target.

This, however, isn't a normal target. This is a shocked and tired person.

The situation might as well be called "easy mode."

And so, the Candidate summons all the remainder of her shattered confidence, putting on a serious expression that the trembling girl can't even see just to remind herself of her acting role, and a simple line exits her lips in a confident tone.

 _"We need to talk."_

"U-Um..."

Nepugia's shaking worsens noticeably at that. The girl quite probably horrified by this point.

"Y-Y-Yes, La-Lady N-Nepgear!" she responds in a nervous, squeaky voice which the Planeptunian Candidate _swears_ should be coming from her mouth instead.

And, with that, her victory is sealed.

 _'I... did it,'_ she thinks just as a quiet sigh slips past her lips. _'Now, how should I do this—'_

 ***NEEE-EEEU* *NEEE-EEEU***

"Wha—" "Ah!"

At the sudden sound of approaching sirens, both girls freeze instantly. It's about then that a certain realization hits the Candidate.

The grenades she threw around... They were quite loud, weren't they?

Explosions sounding in the middle of Planeptune's capital... Even during a thunderstorm, it's not surprising that it attracted some attention.

 _That's bad._

 _'Goodness, goodness, goodness, goodness!'_

Getting caught by Planeptunian officials... might be bad, Nepgear silently muses.

Seriously, what will her friends think?! This will hurt her relationship with everyone in the Basilicom! Blaze Stone the security guard, Days the Illusionary Witch, IF, Compa—

 _Histoire._

A chill descends the Candidate's spine.

 ** _She'll die._**

As illegal as it is, Nepgear _has_ to escape somehow!

 _'But they probably surrounded the park already... It's not like we can just... turn... invisible...'_

It's then that it clicks.

"Nepugia," the girl utters in the most commanding tone her scared self can manage, successfully getting the doppelganger's attention if the newly resumed shaking is anything to go by.

And then, using all her fake bravado, she _orders_.

 _"Get us out of here."_

"... Eh?"

* * *

 **.**

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 _And thus, both girls proceed to stealthily evade the law, receiving absolutely no punishment for their reckless actions._

 _That was shameful, an utterly dishonorable act, and yet, Nepgear feels absolutely no guilt nor regrets for it._

 _It was either committing a serious crime in her own nation or making Histoire mad, after all._

 _The correct choice was beyond obvious._

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 _ **Maaaan, this ended up humongous!**_

 _ **Alright, I can say without a shadow of doubt that this, guys, will never become the normal size for the chapters. I simply couldn't find any place to properly cut it off, and, thus, a gigantic chapter was born!**_

 _ **I blame it on this being an action chapter; I always go overboard on those. Would** **you people believe it if I said I wrote it faster than the past chapters? I gu** **ess this is how being inspired feels.**_

 _ **That aside, I believe I should actually start talking about the chapter!**_

 _ **Basically, the idea was to have Nepgear finally doing something by herself and going after the strange lookalike who attacked her! It eventually evolved into having her act like an assassin, and fighting against Nepugia using a new style based around, basically, surviving at all costs. Well, and also using knives, sort of.**_

 _ **I mean, Nepgear kinda threw then at point blank range, which made it almost impossible to miss, and, when using them to block, was wielding them like swords. I dunno, I feel like she gets no extra points for the knives.**_

 _ **There's not much else to say, because not much else happened! This was basically a glorified fight scene which I call a chapter.**_

 _ **So, how was the mood? How was the fight? How many of you guys actually remembered that Nepgear did mention laser knives last chapter?**_

 _ **Why, I bet nobody's gonna raise a hand at the last question!**_

 _ **And, with this, I shall end this A/N! Remember to review, favorite, follow, or whatever else you may want to do after this read!**_

 _ **Yes, that does, in fact, include ignoring this trashy beggar of an author! But, um, I wouldn't suggest it.**_

 _ **For** **obvious reasons.**_

 _ **So, there we have it! We're almost reaching the ending of the beginning, everyone, just a bit more until we reach the next arc!**_

 _ **That said, until** **the next update!**_

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"..."

"..."

Years ago, if someone had told Nepgear that she would eventually fight herself to near-death, sneak away from the police alongside herself and then witness herself apologizing to her, she would most certainly give them a weirded smile before politely excusing herself from the crazy person.

She would also be silently apologizing to them with all her heart right now.

"..."

"U-Um..."

After all, as the rainstorm rages outside, and the Candidate finds herself seated by the glass pane in an otherwise empty yet nice family restaurant, an identical drenched girl sits across the squared table, both hands and her forehead firmly pressed against the wooden surface in what is, most certainly, an attempt to do what is usually called an "apology."

Still, as Nepgear idly fixes her warm waterproof hood in place and shoots her lookalike an embarrassed smile, this whole situation only feels _awkward_.

"A... joke... you say...?" the girl speaks slowly, as if to make sure she heard the doppelganger's earlier words correctly.

"Y-Yes!" Nepugia outright squeaks, face still on the table as she visibly shivers. "I'm so, so, so, so, _sooooo_ sorry for joking around with your appearance, My Lady! The lewd jokes, the impersonations, that one time I was on TV, _every-freaking-thing_! P-Please don't hurt me!"

"Ahaha..." Suddenly remembering they're not exactly alone, the hooded Candidate throws a glance at the counter a few meters away, from where a ponytailed brunette, clad in a brown maid outfit, is quite obviously giving her a pitying look with those amber eyes.

"..."

Alright, this doesn't _feel_ awkward, this _is_ very, _very_ awkward, the girl concludes as she focuses once more on the doppelganger quite literally on the table "G-Goodness, if you're this nervous, I guess I understand why you threw that grenade at me..."

"Ah—"

At those words, a single, powerful tremble noticeably attacks the lookalike's entire body, only for her to freeze completely a moment later.

It's then that Nepgear realizes she probably shouldn't have mentioned that so brusquely.

 _'Um... Whoops...?'_

Slowly, Nepugia raises her hands from the table.

 ***BANG***

Only to _bang_ them against it as she raises her head, facing the Candidate with trembling lips, tears forming in her eyes and an outright panicked expression. "O-On second thought, I'll accept any, any, any, _any_ punishment for hurting you, My Dear Lady!"

"..."

Nepgear's embarrassed smile twitches as the emotion grows tenfold.

This girl is only making this harder to deal with...

"I-I'm not going to hurt you, goodness," the Candidate bashfully reveals as leans back on her cushioned seat, attempting to gain some comfort in this awkward situation.

The words have an immediate effect, if the way Nepugia's shaking instantly stops is of any indication. "R-Really...?"

"Yes..." Nepgear nods, doing her damnedest to put on some sort of comforting expression, even as she knows it still looks strange. "I-I don't think that would solve anything."

"..." For the moments which follow, the lookalike simply stares at the Candidate with teary eyes, her lips still trembling slightly. Eventually, the girl leans back on her seat, still bearing the same expression, and stares deep into the other girl's identical eyes. " ***sniff***... Love you, My Lady..."

Nepgear almost chokes on air.

 _'T-That's how she expresses gratitude?!'_

Eyes widening ever so slightly, the girl shoots another look at the brown-haired cashier.

There she is, leaning on her counter and staring straight at the Candidate with those glaringly sly yellow orbs, her smirk as wide as possible.

 _'Y-You've got it wrong, Ms. Maid! Goodness, you've got it all wrong!'_

Even as her fists tighten under the cloak out of embarrassment alone, the girl still forces herself to look at Nepugia, whose sad puppy face hasn't changed one bit. "A-Anyway! I-I still need to ask you some things!"

"Huh...?" Sniffing once more, the doppelganger tilts her head quizzically, teary eyes gaining a glint of curiosity. "Really, really?"

"Y-Yes, yes!" Nepgear nods twice, only to wince internally. Why is she going along with the flow...? "So, Nepugia!" "Yeah, I'm Nepugia." "Just to be sure, why did you think I was an ASIC assassin?"

"Eh?" At that, the seemingly sad lookalike's head tilts a few degrees further, the girl quite obviously confused by the question. "You mean... that wasn't totally the normal conclusion? ***sniff*** I mean, I dunno how, but you kinda escaped from those guys, and I look like you up to the underwear, so..."

 _'U-Underwear...?!'_

The Candidate is quite thankful that her warm scarf is hiding her blush at the moment.

 _'T-That aside, she does have a point...'_

Her line of thought is nothing but logical, after all. Nepgear was freed from ASIC's clutches, so it's very likely that there are members tasked with pursuing her, or just her looks in general. Goodness, for all she knows, there might be unfriendly eyes tracked on her this very moment!

Well, maybe not, but she shouldn't take chances. Perhaps the Candidate should use this outfit more often when heading out; it's not exactly notable amidst hundreds of actual assassin-classes, and to top it off she doubts anyone saw her face back in the foggy park.

Then again, that might mess up a bit with the whole "get recognized by the citizens and gather Shares" thing...

"So, um..." That sudden voice breaks Nepgear out of her thoughts, bringing her focus back to the frowning girl before her, now holding a hand up for some reason. "If this is a question game, can I ask you some stuff too? I mean, after this one question."

"Ah, sure." The Candidate nods without a second thought. It's just fair, after all. "What do you want to know?"

"Well..." Directing her finally non-teary eyes slightly downwards, Nepugia points at the other girl's cloaked chest, clearly meaning to signal the whole outfit. " ***sniff*** What's with all this stuff...? Cloak, scarf, knives... Did you class-change to assassin?"

"Right, this..." At the question, a bashful expression crosses Nepgear's mostly hidden features. "Well, it's warmer than my normal clothes. Also, you ran away last time you saw me, so I was planning on catching you before revealing my identity and, um... asking you questions. Just like I'm doing now, actually..."

"... Ah." Instantly, a familiar panic appears on the doppelganger's face, the girl no doubt realizing she had quite a hand on causing their earlier predicament.

It's then that the Candidate realizes.

 _'Goodness, she'll apologize again!'_

"W-Wait, calm down, it's not your fault, it's no one's fault!" Nepgear hastily speaks, waving both hands in front of her face in a frantic attempt to accentuate her words. "I-I won't hurt you, there's no punishment, really!"

Her face once again resembling that of a saddened canine, Nepugia blinks in disbelief at the Candidate. " ***sniff*** Really, really, really?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Nepgear nods at each word, this time not even reprimanding herself for doing so; she's far too focused on preventing yet another embarrassing moment for that.

A third quick glance at the maid right there reveals a wide grin this time, the brunette in question idly shaking an open can of soda as she watches the show with amusement.

 _'She has to be messing with me...!'_

"S-So!" the Candidate lets out in a loud voice, eyeing the gloomy girl across the table. "I-It's my turn to ask you something!"

"Uh..." Bringing a wet sleeve to her eyes and wiping away pooling tears, Nepugia sniffs once more before directing her cheerless sight back to Nepgear. "Sure, shoot..."

 _'Goodness, she caught a cold, didn't she?'_

The girl can already feel the guilt growing.

Still, pushing away her worries for the time being, she instead focuses on saying her next question. "Say, I know you thought I was an assassin, but why did you try to..." the Candidate trails off for a moment, realizing what she was about to say, before continuing with something definitely _safer_ , "... _hurt me_ that much in the rooftop?"

Once again the doppelganger tilts her head, staring quizzically with droopy and slightly bloodshot eyes at the girl before her. "I... what?"

"When you tried to shoot me with that... umbrella, I guess," Nepgear clarifies, noticing how recognition seems to cross the lookalike's features. "If that had hit me, it would have done... a lot of damage. It was very dangerous."

"Huh?" That seems to elicit a raising eyebrow from Nepugia. "If you really were a big bad assassing person, ***sniff*** , wasn't I _supposed_ to cause a lot of damage? I mean, it's not like you would have..."

Just like that, the doppelganger trails off, staring blankly at the Candidate as she seems to think about something.

It's then that Nepgear's eyes widen as she realizes what's about to happen.

 _'Goodness, she understood what I really meant!'_

"H-Hold on a moment!" Instantly taking action, the girl frantically begins to speak anything which comes to mind. "Nothing bad happened!" Well, not in _this_ life. "S-So you don't need to feel guilty! J-Just don't act so rashly again...!"

If Nepugia heard those words, she certainly doesn't show it, still shooting a vacant stare at Nepgear. _"... I almost killed someone... No... I almost killed **the Candidate**..."_

"N-Nepugia...?" the girl across from her calls out hesitantly, eyeing the doppelganger with worry. "I mean it, really. I don't blame you, so... c-calm down!"

 _"... Almost... killed..."_

Nepgear can't help but gulp at the other girl's blank expression. This is just all sorts of unsettling... and awkward-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" "GOODNESS!" "HOLY MOLY?!"

Nepugia suddenly _screams_ , startling both the Candidate and cashier as she instantly jumps up from her seat and bangs both hands against the table, eyeing the girl across her with all the panic in the world. "I'm gonna make up for it! Really! Really, really, really! _Reallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreally_!"

"Y-You don't need to—"

"I DO!" the doppelganger outright _screeches_ at the wide-eyed Nepgear, instantly silencing her. "So, how I begin?! How about a slice of strawberry cake?!"

Nepgear blinks almost frantically, attempting to regain her bearings after such a surprise. "Well, I-I'd love to, but I should probably go back—"

" _Two_ slices!"

"N-No!" The Candidate hastily shakes her head at the offer. Seriously, why is she so resolute about this?! "I mean, I _really_ need to return before Histoire notices I'm—"

" ** _Three_** slices!"

"U-Um..."

Unsure of what to do, Nepgear yet again shoots a look at the brunette behind the counter, receiving only a stare as nervous as hers back.

 _'W-What the goodness...?!'_

"O-Okay, you win, just calm down!" the lilac-haired girl finally gives in, eyeing the drenched doppelganger standing across the table with resignation. "I guess some cake would be nice..."

"Awesomesauce!" Without missing her look of urgency, Nepugia turns towards the cashier, pointing at the stunned girl with her index finger. "Maid girl! Gimme four slices here!"

"Ah, yes!" the brunette frantically replies, instantly turning around and entering an open doorway behind her. "Be right back!"

"Chop-chop, go fast, this is the real Candidate here!" the doppelganger immediately shouts back at her, the words bringing a blush of embarrassment to Nepgear's cheeks.

Following that, Nepugia drops back on her cushioned seat, her nervous violet eyes pointing downwards as her hands come together front of her stomach in a show of anxiousness. If that wasn't enough, it's then that she begins rocking left and right, all the while muttering something quite...

 _"Goodness, goodness, goodness, goodness, goodness—"_

... familiar.

"..."

As Nepgear silently observes the lookalike, she's quite sure that her hidden twitching smile can't get more awkward.

And to think this is all because she accidentally revealed that the doppelganger almost became a murderer...

 _'Somehow... I don't think she's taking it that well.'_

 _"Goodness, goodness, goodness—"_

 _'... Maybe I should have been more tactful about it.'_

Still, as Nepgear continues to watch the nervous Nepugia, she can't help but feel relieved, and also a little bit proud.

In the end, she really managed to deal with her doppelganger problem on her own, and even managed to seemingly befriend said doppelganger!

 _"Goodness... Goodness... Goodness..."_

... Sort of.

Well, at least she got cake.

 _'A lot of horrible things happened today... I died, I was exploded, I was hit by a car, I was shot at, I went mad... But, goodness, I did **something** right! This has to be the best day I've had ever since being saved!'_

At that thought, a wide, genuine smile finds its way to Nepgear's lips. Finally, her list of achievements isn't so pitiful anymore!

Right now, she could die then retry and the day wouldn't get any worse! Her mood is so high in the skies Nepgear feels like nothing can bring it to the ground!

 ***Bzzzt* *Bzzzt* *Bzzzt***

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the consecutive vibrations of an object on the girl's right thigh break her out from her thoughts.

 _'That's... my N-Gear?'_

Reaching for its holster and taking the device out, Nepgear brings it to her face, pressing a random button to turn on the screen.

 _'Strange, it's almost noon. What can it be at this-'_

 **6 calls missed: Histoire**

 **39 new messages**

 _'... Oh.'_

Just like that, the girl's cheer suffers a violent death, her bright smile losing all of its life at once.

 _'She... noticed...'_

"..."

 _"Goodness... Goodness... Goody McGoodness..."_

"..."

 _"Oh goodness... Such goodness... Great goodness..."_

"..."

Without a word, Nepgear unhesitatingly presses the N-Gear's power button, holding it until the screen turns off. Following that, she slowly lowers the device, placing it back in its holster before focusing a blank stare on the nervous doppelganger.

 _"Goodness... gracious...? Well, goodness... Goodness, yes..."_

"..."

 _"My goodness... Our goodness... My Lady's a goodness too, right...?"_

"..."

Eventually, in a lifeless, robot-like movement, the Candidate calmly turns her head away from Nepugia and towards the wide glass pane right next to her, an empty smile behind her scarf as she vacantly observes the powerful rainstorm raging outside on the street.

"..."

A branch suddenly flies by, shattering the windshield of some poor guy's parked gray car and triggering its loud alarm. As if that wasn't enough, a cylindrical-shaped trash sails past, banging against a lamppost with a loud "bang" and deforming horribly to accomodate its shape.

"..."

Nepgear can't help but let out a big, dreamy sigh of wonderment at the majestic sight that is Mother Nature.

 _'Ah... It's such a nice day...'_

... Such is the reality the girl chooses to accept.


	8. Laced with Light, the True First Step

"Hope."

A simple word, formed by one syllable and spoken as easily as breathing.

The idea behind it, however, is far beyond simple.

When taken at face value, it's very easy to say "hope is good," and most lines of thought would come to a halt right there. After all, why continue? That "hope is good" is a lesson usually taught from the very beginning of one's life, through methods ranging from soothing bedtime stories to exciting tales of heroism.

Thus, "hope is good." No matter what, "hope is good."

But ask a person why, and chances are they will freeze on the spot.

That is what the lilac-haired girl, dressed in her usual white outfit, muses as she calmly sits by the big fountain, amethyst eyes blankly observing the crowds walking through the large Planeptunian square.

Innumerable people, dressed in both casual and formal outfits, are moving haphazardly through the area, walking with haste amidst this almost cloudless sunny morning; some are simply passing by, while others are going for the several stands placed around, from the usual stores selling food or clothes to the more unique mobile alchemy shops and blacksmith businesses.

Those are normal civilians, going about their lives with impatience in their steps.

As that happens, mixed in the scenario are certain special individuals, these easily noticeable by their colorful equipment; some seem to be doing the same as the civilians and examining several goods, while most are moving to and from the massive Guild installation located around fifty meters away from Nepgear, the enormous building connected to the square as if the latter is simply its lawn.

These are professional Hunters, going about their lives with eagerness in their souls.

As the Candidate observes them all, a few passersby shoot glances at her, either because of her pensatively vacant expression or her identity; just as Histoire said as she urged Nepgear not to hide herself with the cloak, these glances are the first step to feeding the existing rumors of her return, and shares will begin coming far before the Basilicom takes the bold step of making an official declaration.

Those shares, Nepgear muses, will come from all sorts of individuals without discrimination, much like the looks she continues to receive; after all, in the end they are citizens, no matter their walks of life.

In Gamindustri, civilians and Hunters, two radically different kinds of people, live amongst each other without problems, united by their ideals and beliefs.

And all of them hold "hope."

But what _is_ "hope"?

The times are difficult; even as several scientific breakthroughs are reached, and Gamindustri slowly pulls itself out of a recession which has existed since long before ASIC, hardships are far from being over. And yet, there are many who simply keep moving forward, doing their best while expecting tomorrow to be better than today. That is hope, no?

In that clothing stand, the woman urging passersby to take a look at their wares is undoubtedly exasperated after being ignored for so long, her smile maintained by nothing but amazing willpower; still, she doesn't give up, pointing out offers nonstop whilst waiting for someone, anyone, to finally give the business some attention. That is hope, no?

Meanwhile, in that small open-air replication of a bar, the middle-aged man sitting on the stool, watching a horsebird race through the TV on the counter with a gambling ticket grasped in his hand, is certainly praying to win, even as the odds are stacked against him. That is hope, no?

At the same time, by the crepe stand several meters away, the girl seated alone by one of the many metallic tables, staring at her cellphone expectantly without pause, is likely waiting for a message from someone; perhaps they are late, or maybe she is the one early and notified them, but the point is that she awaits for an event whose trigger is completely out of her hands. That is hope, no?

Given those examples, is it possible to form a concise description for this strange sentiment?

The answer, of course, is a clear, resounding "no."

Even with such instances of "hope," there are still infinite ways to interpret it; thus, since "hope" is a completely subjective concept, it is simply impossible for a proper description to exist.

And, because of that, it is also impossible to simply define "hope" as "good."

Such are the thoughts going through the lilac-haired girl's mind, her eyes vacantly wandering around the brisk crowds in the square.

People are taught that "hope is good," but they never learn what is "hope" itself; as such, every individual holds a different definition in their hearts.

For some, it is the power to look forward to the next day, expecting the best even as all looks bleak.

For others, it is one's ability to keep a smile even if the world begins crumbling around them.

For Nepgear, however?

A frown crosses the girl's lips, several memories, all still fresh, resurfacing in her mind.

Empty expectations, wishes made without the slightest certainty, a complete disregard of reality; _that_ is "hope" for her, an excuse not to do anything whilst entrusting everything to the lie called "fate."

Thoughts don't create a path forward, only actions do. Blind "hope" might be able to make Nepgear see Gamindustri in a better light, but she would rather live in a dark world begging to be saved than a bright dream silently withering away.

The latter simply dies without notice, after all.

 _'Just like my sister will if I delude myself...!'_

As such, "hope is bad." No matter what, "hope is bad."

That might not be the absolute truth, but it is _her_ truth.

And, in the end, _that_ is what matters.

 _'Just you wait, Neptune... With those ideals, I'll make sure you're freed!'_

It won't be today, and neither in the following days.

But, someday...

"Ge-Ge!" "Hey, Gear!"

"Hm?"

At the mention of her nicknames, the lilac-haired girl's train of thought comes to a sudden halt, violet eyes pointing towards the source of the familiar voices.

Just a couple meters away from her is a familiar brunette, bearing a small grin as she eagerly makes her way to Nepgear, and trailing slightly behind is a certain peach-haired girl, wearing an apologetic smile as she moves much more calmly, no doubt because of the brown cone filled with white ice cream in her grasp.

The sight brings a small smile to Nepgear's lips. "Um, hey there."

"So!" IF cheerfully speaks up as she comes to a stop in front of the seated Candidate, Compa doing the same a moment later. "Guess who's the little puppy I found lost in the crowd!"

"P-Puppy?!" Just like that, a dark blush overtakes the nurse-in-training's face, her smile fading instantly as she shoots the brunette a surprised look. "G-Gosh, I just got stuck a little bit! You don't need to describe it like that, you meanie..." A moment later, the girl averts her eyes, a pout clear in her features. "You didn't need to whistle for me either..."

"Hey, you were the one who looked stupid happy when I did so," IF points out, wearing the most unapologetic smile possible. "Hell, you even ran towards me! I could totally see your tail wagging."

In response, the peach-haired girl's pout deepens, the girl still looking at the other side as she takes a quick lick of her ice cream.

"Hahaha..." Nepgear can only let out a few awkwardly laughs at the exchange going on in front of her; and there she thought IF only teased her.

Still, the lilac-haired girl can't help but feel a bit worried, and for a very simple reason.

 _'... Why am I imagining dog ears on Compa now?'_

Seriously, they're right there! As her friend pouts and averts her eyes, the Candidate can totally see the droopy things on her head!

The sight is definitely more cute than it has the right to be!

 _'Goodness...'_

She totally blames IF.

"S-So that's why you were taking so long, huh..." in an attempt to distract herself from those thoughts, Nepgear clumsily speaks, drawing an emerald look and a peach-colored sideways glance to herself. "Goodness, I was starting to get worried. You need to be more careful, pup—Ah!" "Pft!"

Just as the brunette's hand moves to stifle a sudden laugh, surprise crosses the Candidate's face at her massive blunder.

As for the peach-haired girl herself...

"Hmph!" With an indignant sound, Compa once more finds the distant sight of a hotdog cart much more interesting than her friends, her pout still very much in place.

"..."

Alright, _now_ Nepgear screwed up.

 _'Oops...'_

"Ah, um, I'm sorry!" the lilac-haired girl tries, the most bashful and apologetic smile in her features. "T-That just sort of escaped. I didn't really mean anything with it."

At first, the annoyed nurse-in-training doesn't respond, as if ignoring Nepgear's words. And then, she slowly brings the ice cream closer to her mouth...

 ***chomp***

And _bites off_ half the entire thing at once.

"..."

Nepgear's smile twitches.

 _'D-Did that mean something...?'_

Really, what _was_ that?!

"... Anywaaaay," IF suddenly speaks, the smirk on her face slightly beyond wide as violet eyes point at her. "Ignoring Ms. Scorned Canine for a moment, I'd like to point out that I got us a lot of fetch quests; we'll be pretty much playing farmer today in Virtua. Think you're up to it?"

"Um, I guess so," Nepgear slowly responds as she raises from her spot, eyeing the brunette all the while. "That doesn't sound too hard, actually."

"It really isn't," is the brunette's cheerful response, her lips twisting into a normal smile. "Still, I'm kinda surprised you wanted to go out, NEET. It's been a few days of you doing nothing by now."

For the second time, the Candidate's smile twitches. "N-NEET?"

"Yep. NEET," IF happily repeats, her smirk resurfacing with full force. "Also, roach. That said, I'd love to keep wasting time, but we should probably restock and move out while it's still morning. I know a pretty nice potion shop on the other side of the Guild, in that one street where you saw Nepugia, so you girls just follow me!" After saying that, she throws a sly glance at the nurse-in-training. "That includes you, puppy."

"W-Wha—" The reaction is instantaneous as Compa finally turns towards her friend, a dark blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "I-I'm not a fluffy puppy!"

"I never said fluffy!" the brunette points out with a wink, proceeding to turn around without a care in the world and walking away. "Now, c'mon! Time's a wastin'!"

"G-Geez..."

The still kinda mad nurse-in-training follows soon after, lightly stomping the ground at every step.

She still has a pout, of course.

"..."

And that leaves only Nepgear near the fountain, the Candidate simply staring at IF's back with narrowed eyes whilst pondering about what just happened.

 _"... NEET. She called me a NEET,"_ the girl mutters under her breath, disbelief clear in her voice.

That's one more name to the list, it seems.

 _'This feeling inside me... It's "annoyance," right?'_

"..."

Eventually, the lilac-haired girl lets out a sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. It's only after that, just as her party is on the verge of disappearing amidst the crowd, that she starts to move towards them, every step exuding tiredness and exasperation.

"Seriously..."

Nepgear, herself a newbie at fighting, is tasked with saving Gamindustri, and _this_ is the team she gets? Two young novice warriors?

 _To save Gamindustri?_

What is this, an RPG targeted to a teen audience?! Honestly, how... dumb, for the lack of a better term.

 _'Well, it's not like Histoire can trust just anyone...'_

The fairy could very well assign accomplished warriors to stay by the lilac-haired girl's side, yes. They could also very well be ASIC members who would then proceed to recapture her with ease.

Needless to say, that'd be a pretty pitiful way to end an adventure.

 _'And so, I'm stuck with those two...'_

Just as she becomes completely surrounded by the crowd, doing her damnedest not to lose the pair of girls from sight, yet another sigh sounds.

They're both pretty troublesome, aren't they? It's mostly the brunette, really, but the nurse-in-training certainly shows some shades of that.

There's no doubt, those girls _will_ make her snap someday.

 _'Then again...'_

At once, several memories show themselves to the Candidate, vivid remembrances of when everything was far simpler; the small, cheeky brunette who would always play pranks on the two Planeptunian CPUs, and the tiny, cheerful peach-haired girl who was just a ball of energy and free hugs.

For Nepgear, that was days ago; for those two, that was _years_ ago.

However, even though the Candidate should have been left behind, even though IF and Compa should have been completely different people, those girls somehow continue to hold traces of their past.

Turns out they are still the same children she knew, after all.

 _'I guess there's no one else I'd rather have with me...'_

Those two are a pair of lights amidst the darkness, glowing fragments of a better world. To say their presence puts Nepgear at ease would be a massive understatement; at this point, their mere existence reminds her of the goal she's fighting for.

As such, the image of the future she seeks will remain clear in her mind.

All because of a simple pair of human girls.

 _'IF._ _Compa.'_

The wild gust whose feelings she can never seem to read, and the brave tool whose drive she will never understand.

They are her companions, the ones who will illuminate her path for the remainder of her story. When she suffers, they'll also be afflicted by pain; when she cries, they'll also be burdened by sadness; when she feels happy, they'll also be permeated by joy.

'Hope' might have no place in this tale, but these "bonds" are something Nepgear will treasure to the end.

And then, someday...

Someday, she'll surely win this cruel game of death, and the CPUs will be set free.

Someday, they'll all be back together, the occasional jokes and teasings becoming commonplace once again.

Someday, she'll be reunited with Neptune once more, the sister she failed to protect amidst her uselessness.

 _'That's right...'_

At that, the girl's lips slowly twist into a minuscule, genuine smile as she continues to traverse the sea of people, towards the actual beginning of her adventure.

Someday, this nightmare filled with "hope" will finally come to an end, and the suffering will eventually fade away; of that there is no doubt.

After all...

 _'... my **ability** wouldn't have it any other way.'_

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 ***Chapter 5***

 **Laced with Light, the True First Step**

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Innumerable trees placed all around, their lively green leaves allowing only a fraction of the sun's glow to pass; a verdant ground covered in grass, coupled with circuit-like mana grids strewn around seemingly at random, roots with the peculiar appearance of cables and all sorts of stationary living beings.

Berry bushes filled with their products, small mushroom formations, tiny colorful trees; no matter where one looks, vibrant flora overtakes the entire scenery, the mix of shadows and light enhancing the sight even further.

It is not only through its appearance, however, that the beauty of such a place makes itself known.

A gentle breeze whispers by, its soothing touch rustling any leaves and blades of grass in its path; indescribable sounds echo amidst the trees, from the unique crickets of insects to the distant cries of all sorts of incredible fauna hidden just out of sight.

This is a special location, filled with nothing but the vibrance of life.

This is Virtua Forest, the largest of such places in Gamindustri, and perhaps the most amazing of them.

The latter is something Nepgear certainly believes at this moment; as she crouches down next to a tree to inspect a peculiar cube-shaped violet mushroom, feeling the wind pick up for a quick moment as she does so, even the smallest of beings in this place feels interesting.

Whether such a feeling is caused by the forest's inherent wonderfulness, or simply the girl's general lack of knowledge, is something she can't help but wonder as she plucks out one of the mushrooms, storing it in her inventory.

This is _nothing_ like many years ago, when she and Neptune were little and played around a clearing close to the capital, and neither several days ago, when her group took part in that dogoo extermination; as the Candidate raises to her feet and scans the shadowed scenery for more items, she is actually able to take in every detail in a way that no child nor occupied warrior could ever manage to do.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration for Nepgear to say that this feels _amazing_ , and for a very good reason.

It is an undeniable truth that the lilac-haired girl isn't _that_ young; much like any other CPU, she was born a somewhat developed infant, just a few years after Neptune, Noire, Blanc and Vert. That means she is currently in her early 20s, as much as her frozen aging might imply otherwise; just a little kid when surrounded by people born centuries ago, yes, but also old enough to have already beholden quite a few interesting sights around Gamindustri.

Except Nepgear didn't.

Even as those around her grew up and began having incredible adventures, walking through this marvelous world with all sorts of goals in their minds, the Candidate only rarely did so; as unbelievable as it sounds, the _first quest in her life_ was that disastrous yet successful dogoo extermination.

Even now, such a thought brings about nothing but shame.

Nepgear didn't like going out to fight, and so she didn't, with no one pressing her to do otherwise. Just as IF said, everyone had become drunk on peace, and there was absolutely no issues with a CPU leading a peaceful, isolated life; thus, the lilac-haired girl chose to stay in her home, playing around in her workshop and swinging a sword at nothing while tricking herself into believing her empty actions had any worth.

That, the Candidate decides as she plucks a strange glowing violet from a trunk, was her one biggest mistake.

Gamindustri was peaceful, but it _never_ was harmless; as a CPU, Nepgear had the _responsibility_ of being powerful, all in order to protect her citizens from any dangers which could make themselves known.

With a serene smile, the lilac-haired girl runs a hand along a strangely smooth tree as she walks by it, enjoying every moment of the gentle, almost silky sensation.

For most of her life, Nepgear forgot about that responsibility, as did Neptune, Histoire, IF, Compa and _everyone else in Gamindustri_. As such, with no one to intervene, the so-called Planeptunian Candidate grew up to become just a sheltered princess, a useless child who has no idea of how reality works.

Her only memories of the wide world away from her city are that of a forgetful little girl playing with her slightly older big sister, and of a frantic young warrior slashing at weak monsters without a care for her surroundings.

Nepgear missed out on Experience, strength and the incredible, outright _seductive_ allure of the Gamindustri away from home, the dream-like sceneries just barely touched by disruptive hands.

Needless to say, ignoring the latter one for such a long time feels especially unforgivable now that she stands here, amidst this beautiful forest painted by green.

Without the slightest hesitation, the smiling girl walks up to a small patch of strange yellow flowers shaped like rings, reaching down and taking a couple in her hands.

This is far better than she could have ever imagined, Nepgear silently muses as she raises to her feet, the flowers dematerializing whilst amethyst eyes point upwards unbidden. Back in Planeptune, there is no way she would have ever been able to feel so... calm, free to let her thoughts wander while enjoying the soothing touch of the nature surrounding her.

Through a small opening in the leafy shield above, the Candidate can see the azure of the sky, its distinct lack of clouds almost unbelievable after the rainstorm of days ago; the feeling which encroaches her being at such a sight is indescribable, its precise origin all but unexplainable, but she can state without a doubt that it is a nice sensation.

As that thought comes, Nepgear slowly closes her eyes, focusing on the quiet murmurs of the forest and feeling the cool, gentle push of the breezes travelling through this incredible place.

Amidst such a relaxing atmosphere, far away from the most agitated areas of Virtua, the girl can't help but feel an unimaginable tranquility. Her worries are still there, guilt and shame continue to attack every time her thoughts go to Neptune, but everything feels detached, distant from the girl's serene reality.

It only takes a moment for her to realize it.

This strange, amazing feeling encroaching her very being is none other than _peace_.

Being swallowed by this peace led only to tragedy, that is something Nepgear can't afford to forget.

Still, as she continues to struggle against the hardships it brought... there is no problem with allowing some into her soul, is there...?

"Feels amazing, doesn't it?"

Allowing her eyes to open once more, the girl calmly turns around towards the voice. Standing just a meter away, with a peaceful smile and a hand on her hip, is a familiar brunette, her signature blue coat nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," IF speaks a moment after their eyes meet, voice uncharacteristically soft as her lips twist upwards a little bit more. "You probably went by a few Netherworlds with how much you spaced out."

"Ah..." In just a moment, Nepgear's cheeks redden, her wide smile thinning slightly in embarrassment. "I guess I got a bit lost in the scenery, hahaha... Sorry."

"Hey, I never said it was a bad thing," the brunette points out, breaking eye contact and letting her eyes wander around the lush green sights. "This place is too nice to stay all serious and uptight, the best we can do is relax a bit. Our quests have no time limit, you know?"

"Um?" At that, the Candidate can't help but raise a quizzical eyebrow. "But... didn't you have some sort of daily quota for quests?"

"I _do_ , yes." IF nods, bringing her sight back to the lilac-haired girl. "It just so happens I'm already done with it for today. We're just doing the rest of the fetch job to fool around with an excuse for Histoire."

"... Huh." Nepgear blinks at the revelation, mild disbelief in her stare. "Is that so...?"

"Well, I am," the brunette clarifies, her mouth twisting into a prideful smirk. "Compa's just being responsible, but I'm pretty sure you're in the same boat as me, NEETgear."

"W-Well..." the Candidate hesitantly begins, only to trail off with a bashful smile.

 _'She's not exactly wrong...'_

Goodness, is she really becoming a NEET?

"Besides..." IF speaks up, a peaceful expression coming back to her features. "I just thought we all needed some time somewhere relaxing, far away from home sour home. I'm an extermination quest away from snapping, and, well, let's just say I'm preeeetty sure Compa was hiding her tiredness," the brunette says, pointing her thumb towards somewhere behind her.

Glancing over her shoulder, Nepgear notices quite easily what she's supposed to look at: the nurse-in-training is sitting against a trunk several meters away, her form covered by IF's coat as she sleeps soundly.

The Candidate can't help but blink in disbelief at the sight.

 _'Goodness, was she **that** tired?'_

"There's also the matter that you're either depressed, lazy or becoming a pseudo-vampire in your dark room," the brunette continues as a small smirk crosses her lips. "With that in mind, I'd say an outing was pretty much necessary."

"I can't really argue with that..." Nepgear gives in, her cheeks becoming noticeably redder. She wasn't _only_ in her room, but that's not really the point, is it? "Still, this is strangely... thoughtful coming from you."

"Oh?" At the lilac-haired girl's words, the brunette folds her arms, a sly smile crossing her lips just as a glint of amusement appears in her eyes. "What, are you saying I'm some sort egotistical brat now? Man, you're pretty blunt, aren't you?"

"W-What?!" Just like that, violet eyes widen considerably, horror written all across the Candidate's features. "G-Goodness, I didn't mean it like that! I just... That is... It just sort of came out, I mean—"

"Calm down, I'm just messing with you!" IF declares, cutting off Nepgear's ramblings with a massive grin. "You get flustered too easy, y'know? It's really amusing. Although... that sort of means you're a bit unstable, doesn't it?"

"Ah, well..."

The lilac-haired girl simply frowns, not even bothering to try and defend herself as her blush slowly recedes. That's completely true, after all.

And, honestly, what would arguing back even do?

Make things worse, that's what.

Nepgear would say some sort of comeback, to which IF would retort, and they would be at it until one of them eventually couldn't take it anymore, which, chances are, would be the emotionally unstable, impotent, weak-willed Candidate who doesn't have a way with words.

 _'Because I'm just that useless, after all...'_

It takes all of the girl's self-control not to sigh right there and then.

"Hey, now, no need to get so sad," the smiling brunette speaks softly, clearly noticing the other girl's sudden change. "I was just teasing you."

"Is that so..." Nepgear responds absentmindedly, her voice trailing off near the end. How strange, wasn't she cheerful a few minutes ago...?

"Aw, geez, now you're all depressed again." IF lets out a long sigh, running a hand through her hair in... frustration? She seems more tired than anything else. "Seriously... It's like you need some sort of sign saying 'warning, fragile' on you."

"Hehe..." at that, the Candidate can't help but let out a pair of sad, empty chuckles. "Yeah, I guess so..."

That's what she is, after all; a fragile, little girl who can't seem to do anything by herself.

And to think she is the last hope of Gamindustri, the one tasked with saving the CPUs from the clutches of those monsters who can obliterate her in a blink.

 _'Do we even have a chance... After all, I'm just—'_

"Oh, for the love of..."

"...?!"

That's when Nepgear stops. Her pitiful train of thought comes to an immediate halt, just as any sadness in her features is completely replaced by surprise.

At once, an unexplainable wave of warmth overtakes the Candidate's entire being.

No, not unexplainable; rather, "unbelievable" would be a better word to use.

The explanation is right in front of her, after all.

And also female. And slightly shorter.

 _And hugging her._

 ** _Why is IF hugging her?!_**

 _'I... This... She...?!'_

"So..." the brunette whispers softly on the lilac-haired girl's ear, the simple action sending a million shivers down Nepgear's spine, "feling better yet?"

"U-Um... I-I..."

 _'What's going on, what's going on, what's going oooooonnnn?!'_

To say the Candidate's thoughts are muddled would be a _massive_ understatement; her heart is trying to beat its way out of her chest, breathing itself is more of a chore than Histoire's paperwork, and her face is burning so hot that the girl must be a moment away from starting a forest fire.

Panicked? Nepgear was less freaked out _when she **died**_!

"Hehehe..." IF's breaths tickle the lilac-haired girl's neck as she lets out a few chuckles, almost shutting Nepgear down right then and there. "Just calm down, would you?"

A moment later, the brunette's head retreats from the Candidate's shoulder, and Nepgear can already feel her mind slowly going back to its track as relief comes—

IF is cupping her cheek.

 _Why is IF cupping her cheek?_

 _ **Why is her face so close?!**_

 _'Awawawawawawawawawawa—'_

 _Her mind is overheating._

No, that's wrong.

 ** _This is a nuclear meltdown._**

 _'What'shappeningwhat'sgoingonwhyisshedoingthisohmygoodnesswhattheheck—'_

In her frantic state, Nepgear can't tear her eyes off the emerald orbs before her, narrowed just enough to look both sly and inviting; it's honestly a miracle that the lilac-haired girl can identify a minuscule smirk on the brunette's face.

"C'mon, you don't need to be so afraid," IF whispers just loud enough for Nepgear to hear. "Just... close your eyes a moment."

That's when it begins.

 ** _The brunette is slowly getting closer._**

 _'W-W-WHAT THE GOODNESS?!'_

Amidst her panic, with a face redder than a Loweean cheeri berry and a heart beating so fast it could pass for an engine, Nepgear does the first thing that comes to mind.

She closes her eyes shut.

An instant later, she realizes her mistake.

 _'Nononononononononooooooo...'_

Placed right where IF wanted, the Candidate can do absolutely nothing as the brunette...

...

...

...

... also does nothing?

 _'Wait, what's going on—'_

"Gotcha~"

"AH!" Nepgear immediately recoils in surprise as something hits her forehead, her eyes snapping open as she IF allows the girl to escape her grasp.

One second passes, the Candidate's focus returns.

Two seconds pass, Nepgear notices the giant grin on the brunette's face.

Three seconds pass, the lilac-haired girl sees IF's hand raised near her face, open and with all five fingers pointed towards the Candidate.

Four seconds pass...

 _'T-That was...!'_

... and the girl realizes what said sign means.

That is a hand which has just made a certain movement, that of propelling the middle finger forward by holding it back with the thumb and charging up momentum.

 _That is a hand which has just flicked Nepgear's forehead._

 _'She... She...!'_

"Pfft... Hahahahahaha!" at the Candidate's expression, IF immediately doubles over in laughter, the action only annoying Nepgear even further. "Man, you face is amazing, haha! And you really did close your eyes, what the hell, hahaha!"

"..."

The lilac-haired girl opens her mouth to retort—

Only for an open palm to appear before her face, prompting Nepgear to halt.

"Hahaha... Hehehe... Oh, that was great..." Taking a few deep breaths to regain whatever air she lost, IF slowly raises back to a normal posture, smiling at Candidate whilst lowering her hand. "You're awesome, you know that?"

"A-And you're horrible!" the Nepgear retorts thoughtlessly, indignation obvious in her tone.

"... Eh?"

It's just when the brunette's smile freezes over, surprise quite clear in her features, that the lilac-haired girl realizes she said that out loud.

"Ah, um...!" Violet eyes widen, the Candidate's mind racing to formulate an excuse. "I-I'm sorr—"

 **"Don't."**

"?!"

Nepgear shuts up instantly at IF's firm voice, the panic on her face completely paralyzed by that word alone.

 _'T... That was...'_

The brunette stares deep into the lilac-haired girl's eyes, expression the most serious the Candidate has ever seen; in just a moment, Nepgear can already feel a cold shiver of _terror_ descending her spine, remembrances of the last time she heard that tone still _very clear_ in her mind.

And then...

 _IF smiles._

 _'E-Eh?'_

"Just... don't, alright?" the brunette repeats, her voice soft as if she didn't just incorporate death itself for an instant. "Glad to see you're back, though. Keep it that way, the only thing I wanna focus on is our holiday."

 _'I... Uh... What...?'_

"Now go back to prancing around and picking flowers like a princess, alright?" IF continues, an easy smile on her lips as she blatantly ignores Nepgear's stunned, quizzical stare. "It suits you better than sulking around like a loser."

With that said, she doesn't even bother explaining her words before turning around, walking away towards a small field of blue flowers without a care in the world.

... Leaving a confused Candidate behind, blinking confusedly at the brunette's retreating form.

 _'She... Why... But...'_

...

...

...

"... Huh."

Letting out that simple noise, Nepgear proceeds to turn around, her eyes still somewhat unfocused as they fall on the patch of yellow, ring-shaped flowers by her feet.

"..."

Slowly, amethyst eyes direct themselves to a second patch of flowers nearby, these green and closed like tulips, but emitting some sort of blue glow from their insides.

"..."

An instant later, the girl's face contorts in an almost uncharacteristic indignation, and a nearly unprecedented huff escapes her lips.

That so-called joke was just _awful_! Seriously, Nepgear almost _blew up_ out of nervousness alone back there!

 _'Besides, I wasn't sulking, I was just... thinking...! And... And I don't need her to tell me what to do...! I was going to keep picking flowers whether she said it or not, geez!'_

Honestly, what _is_ up with her?!

With that question resounding clear in her mind, the Planeptunian Candidate begins making her way to her new objective, lightly stomping on the grass below to vent out her annoyance at the troublesome brunette's highly confounding actions.

... She doesn't even notice the approving, almost proud grin being sent her way.

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Boredom is truly a strange concept.

Most of the time, it pounces on individuals who are either doing absolutely nothing, which is quite rare these days, or engaging in undesired activities, much like the office worker who has to deal with six times their usual paperwork in a day, or the store worker who gains a surprise extra shift just as they are about to head home.

Sometimes, however, it _doesn't_. Sometimes, boredom just up and decides to attack people who _are_ doing something they like, and who _are_ enjoying themselves quite a bit as they do so.

When faced with this sort of ambush, no matter how much the unfortunate victim wishes to simply continue what they are doing, they find themselves forced to make a choice: either abandon their activities, or find a way to make them at least somewhat enjoyable once more.

As it turns out, a certain Planeptunian Candidate is one of those unfortunate victims of an unexpected boredom.

And, as it also turns out, she _is_ attempting to make things interesting again.

"..."

Violet eyes narrow as they lock onto their objective: a round, red berry hanging on a branch of a tree four meters away.

It is sizable enough, its color is good and its surface seems smooth, completely untouched by hungry animals.

However, that's not all.

 _'It's a bit high up, but I can still see the stem.'_

One more time, the girl raises the pink laser knife in her right hand up to her face, inspecting the weapon yet again.

All things considered, this looks... possible.

"..."

Slowly, her sight goes back to the thin, short stem connecting the fruit to its host.

Possible as it might be, that's still a small target for her to hit. Unless she wants a total miss, or worse, a cleaved berry, the lilac-haired girl can't afford to relax on this one.

 _'I need to focus now...'_

Carefully, Nepgear brings the knife to above her left shoulder, its edge facing backwards. Unlike some may expect, the weapon won't rotate if thrown this way; correct timing, appropriate finger placement and a few fast, amateurishly easy enchantments—just to make sure—are enough to deal with that.

That said, online tutorials are pretty great, aren't they? Even against Nepugia, her projectiles always flew straight forward thanks to that marvelous source of knowledge.

However, one must keep in mind that throwing is easy; actually hitting things which aren't either at point-blank range or both big and immobile is the difficult part.

Bringing her mind back to the situation at hand, the Planeptunian Candidate takes a deep breath, focusing only on her minuscule target. It's somewhat improbable for her to get a perfect hit, even with her days of training—or, rather, _because_ she only has days of training—but, again, it's _possible_.

And so, in a single slashing motion, she—

"Too slow!"

 ***Vwiiish***

 _'WHA—'_

Nepgear freezes amidst her action as a metallic knife sails past her head and cuts right through the stem, its edge not even grazing the red berry mere milimeters away.

A moment later, the small fruit hits grass with a soft "thud," signaling a job well done.

"..."

Yet, as the lilac-haired girl lowers her arm, laser weapon still in hand, she can't find it in herself to feel happy for it.

 _'She...'_

Without a word, Nepgear throws an annoyed glance behind her back.

IF simply grins at her, waving one of her army knives before nonchalantly turning around to look for another target, her blue coat waving at the movement.

The Candidate's lips twitch.

 _'... Unbelievable.'_

Seriously, what the heck is up with that infuriating attitude...?! The brunette has been acting like that for the whole morning- nay, the whole _week_! Maybe even entire years for all the lilac-haired girl knows!

Is it fun?! Because it certainly doesn't feel like it! Why, if only she could—

"U-Um," right then, a familiar, meek voice suddenly speaks up, "please don't get mad?"

Turning her sight back forward, Nepgear isn't surprised in the slightest to see a peach-haired girl crouching to gather the berry on the grass, placing it with many others in the straw basket hanging by the handle on her left arm. The nurse-in-training chose the task of picking any fruits her teammates knock down, after all, so seeing her doing so is simply natural.

There are two unusual details that the lilac-haired girl spots, however.

The first is _another_ straw basket on Compa's right arm, this one filled with berries which are cut apart, unnaturally deformed or just otherwise unpresentable; it's quite obvious that the peach-haired girl is bringing these home, since they can't just deliver them for the fetch quests.

The second is, _of course_ , the apologetic smile coupled with a pleading gaze which forms her expression.

As Compa raises to her feet, walking up to the Candidate with the same look in her features, Nepgear can't help but frown at that, a long sigh escaping her lips. "I'm not mad, I'm just... not happy with her."

There are about twenty-one other terms she could have used there, but chances are the peach-haired girl wouldn't be especially happy with them.

"I'm sorry, but it's just... Well, she's always teasing and pranking me like that," Nepgear calmly explains, letting her knife dematerialize from her grasp. "I'm sure you're already used to it, but—" "I'm not." "—I just feel... a bit..." the Candidate's words slowly come to a halt, her mind starting to process what she has just heard.

For several moments, she simply stares at the nurse-in-training, both their expressions completely unchanging.

And then...

"... Huh?"

 _It hits her._

"Wait a minute, Compa..." Nepgear slowly speaks, disbelief beyond clear in her face and voice alike. "Did you just say you're _not_ used to IF acting that way?"

"Yup." The peach-haired girl nods, still bearing an apologetic look. "Not at all. I'm still not that used to this Iffy."

"But... _how_?" the Candidate manages to ask, her voice coming as something between a whisper and a shout. "Shouldn't you know everything about each other? You guys have been living together in the Basilicom for so much time!"

"Um..." The nurse-in-training raises an eyebrow, smiling quizzically at the lilac-haired girl. "Ge-Ge, it's only been three years. You're kinda making it sound like a whole lot more."

"Three years is a lot, though..." Nepgear points out grimly, a deep frown crossing her lips. "I mean, so much happened in that time..."

In truth, that is quite possibly a massive understatement.

Amidst the constant attacks on factories and shops years ago, prices spiked ludicrously as massive repair costs led to unbelievable debts in all economical sectors. Following that, the unemployment rate rose to the skies when it became clear that paying every worker was pretty much impossible for most businesses.

Unhappiness led to Shares being transferred wildly from nation to nation as people attempted to decide which one they hated the least. To make matters worse, the governments' failure to magically make everything better had the unfortunate consequence of creating widespread distrust alongside an idea of helplessness and isolation amongst the populace, fragmenting the distribution of Shares even further and leading to some large Gamindustrian cities forming their own Sharicites naturally as though they were nations.

That in itself is a gigantic problem, as the failure to instill a sense of union and make those Sharicites fade away might lead to many new CPUs to be born, throwing the Shares system into even more disarray.

Meanwhile, as expected when everything is expensive, piracy became completely normal, especially amongst students—who don't tend to have a large influx of money. As if that wasn't enough, even if people don't particularly like ASIC, the simple fact that they don't have as much faith in neither the government nor CPUs either means that a good amount of Shares that's not hopping around aimlessly goes there.

How the criminal organization found some way to make a Sharicite is a mystery by itself.

Simply put, everything is far beyond horrible at the moment, and that's only what Histoire told Nepgear. Who knows how many things she's still unaware of?

And to think it all happened in the span of three years...

"... Ge-Ge?"

"Ah!" Nepgear jumps in place as she's brought back to reality. Right before her is Compa, the peach-haired girl wearing a worried expression as she observers the lilac-haired girl.

"Are you okay...?" she asks softly, her voice somewhat hesitant. "I think you went to space while I was talking."

"I-I did...?" The Candidate can only blink confusedly at that. Goodness, she didn't even notice her focus fading.

"This has been happening all the time, Ge-Ge..." the nurse-in-training points out, her worry obvious. "It's not normal."

Nepgear has half a mind to assure Compa that she's completely alright, but the nurse-in-training, as expected, has a point. This sort of thing happens almost daily, and she says "almost" because it's _slightly more often_. It's always the same: the lilac-haired girl is doing something, perhaps speaking to someone or just lazing around, when suddenly she starts retreating into her mind, thinking about her worries and seeking answers to questions she asks herself. The Candidate wasn't like this before, of that she is beyond sure, so why the heavens would she—

 _'Not again!'_

The lilac-haired girl blinks, and suddenly she's back in the real world, facing the noticeably more worried Compa.

She almost lost herself there.

"To be honest, I think I have a problem..." Nepgear mutters, her tone somewhere between defeat and disappointment at herself. "Um, maybe I'm just not sleeping enough?"

"That sounds bad..." the nurse-in-training comments, uneasy. "When we get home, I'm gonna check up on Ge-Ge. For now, though, I want you to tell me exactly how you feel."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea..." the Candidate replies with a nod, bringing up a hand to scratch her cheek in embarrassment. "Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I was going to ask you for help a few days ago, but, um... I forgot."

Compa blinks, staring at Nepgear. "Ge-Ge forgot?"

"Y-Yeah." The lilac-haired girl nods, letting a bashful smile cross her lips. "Even though it was important, I completely forgot about it. Sorry."

"..."

The nurse-in-training doesn't respond immediately, instead opting to shoot Nepgear with as much silent confusion as she can.

"..."

As for the Candidate, she simply stays still, nervously waiting for some sort of reply to come.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Ge-Ge is actually sort of unreliable, huh?"

 ***SLASH***

Nepgear's smile twitches at those horrible words.

 _'That was... so uncalled-for... Gah...'_

Compa doesn't even seem to notice her pain, instead letting out a sigh and bringing a hand to her own cheek. "Now that I think about it, I always thought Ge-Ge was perfect back then. Actually talking to you like this now is a tiny bit... underwhelming."

 ***STAB***

This time, the Candidate's entire body twitches.

 _'Stop. You're killing me.'_

Why does this girl have to be so... _honest_...?!

"Then again..." the nurse-in-training continues, lowering her hand as her lips twist slightly upwards in embarrassment. "I guess I was just a little kid, so of course Ge-Ge would seem great..."

 ***RIIIIIP***

"S-Sorry to disappoint..." Nepgear manages to let out in a pained voice, doing her best to stop the shaking of her smile and ignore the hollow feeling in her chest.

Neither attempts are particularly successful, of course.

 _'Goodness, why must you hurt me so...'_

"Hm?" Compa, meanwhile, simply stares at the Candidate's strangely pitiful expression, blinking in confusion at the reaction her words elicited.

And then...

"... Ah!" The nurse-in-training suddenly jumps in place, peach-colored eyes widening in realization and panic alike. "I'm so, so, so, so sorry! Sometimes I just say my thoughts out loud!"

"T-That apology only makes it worse, you know..."

"Um, sorry..." The peach-haired girl averts her eyes, guilty embarrassment clear in her features. "Geez, it's always like this... I end up saying something I didn't mean to, and then I can't even apologize right..."

"... That's pretty rough," the Candidate comments with a frown after a moment. _'Mostly for whoever has to hear it.'_ "I mean, it gets better with time and practice?"

"I don't think I wanna practice apologizing for saying mean things..."

"Not... what I meant..." Nepgear scratches her cheek awkwardly, silently wondering what should be her next line. "Well, I _could_ help you with practicing later if you want. Maybe even write a few stock lines for you."

"Huh?" At that the nurse-in-training tilts her head, blinking quizzically at the Candidate. "But wouldn't that be like cheating?"

"... I'm pretty sure that's not how it works." The lilac-haired girl lowers her hand from her cheek as she shoots Compa an awkward smile. "I mean, it has to work that way, right? Stock honesty is still honesty... probably."

"Maybe you're right, Ge-Ge..." As the nurse-in-training mutters that, her sight slowly descends to the grass beneath, a pensive expression on her face. "Hmmm..."

 _'I guess she's really putting her all into thinking about this, huh?'_

Nepgear can't help but widen her smile at the sight of the thinking girl before her. She's being useful, right? By assisting Compa like this, she surely is being reliable, isn't she?

All in all, it's a pretty nice feeling—

"AH!" The Candidate flinches as the girl before her suddenly shouts, frantic peach-colored orbs staring into surprised violet. "Ge-Ge, we were talking about you, not me!"

"Huh?" Nepgear blinks at that, a widened stare fixed at Compa. "W-Wha...?"

"We were talking about how Ge-Ge spaces out a lot..." the nurse-in-training points out in a dejected voice, her features softening as she frowns. "But then you just changed the subject... Like it wasn't even a little bit important..."

"W-Wha—Goodness, no, I wasn't even thinking about that!" Nepgear replies instantly, raising both hands as if to hold off the peach-haired girl's train of thought. "Really, I was just... going with the flow of the conversation!"

"That's the same thing..." Compa mumbles, her expression much like that of a kicked puppy.

The guilt almost crushes the lilac-haired girl right there.

"It really isn't!" Nepgear insists, her tone outright pleading. "E-Even if it is, we can just, um... start talking about my problems again right now?" she hesitantly offers, doing her best to ignore just how painfully awkward that sounded just now.

Instead of saying something, Compa instead tilts her head at the Candidate's words. A moment later, she throws a sideways glance towards nothing but trees, looking slightly pensive even as her expression still screams "You're making me real sad, Ge-Ge." Following that, it's not long until her sight falls back on Nepgear, looking more uncertain than anything.

And then...

"... Ge-Ge really did forget that we were talking about that, didn't you?"

"J-Just for a moment...?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Actually, maybe we should just talk when we get home..."

"G-Got it..." Nepgear hesitantly nods, something between regret and the desire to dig a hole and die plastered on her face.

That was obviously Compa for "I'm getting a teensy little bit annoyed with Ge-Ge, so it's better to stop talking about this for now."

Getting that sort of response from the nicest girl ever is quite the accomplishment, when you think about it.

"S-So!" the Candidate hesitantly begins, forcing her smile to widen a bit. "Maybe we should continue gathering berries now...?"

"Oh, _finally_! I thought you were going to be at it forever!" suddenly, a familiar, somewhat impatient voice calls out from several meters behind the Candidate. "Now, care to come here for a sec? I _might_ need some help right now."

Just like that, violet eyes widen.

 _'Ah, that's right! IF!'_

As an instantly curious Compa leans to the side to get a better look around the Candidate, Nepgear doesn't waste time in turning around to face her second, nearly forgotten team... mate...

...

 _'... What the goodness?'_

"Ugh... This is too hard!" IF complains quite loudly as she shifts again and again in her spot, doing her damnedest to keep what must be an entire _lot_ of the small, red, round fruits inside the grasp of her arms. "Why can't I... hold all these berries?!"

"..."

The lilac-haired girl blinks, her surprise slowly morphing into the purest deadpan at the sight before her.

This is a prank. It has to be.

"Argh, c'mon...!" A few more seconds of struggling later, the brunette shoots both her teammates the most exasperated glare she can manage. "I _think_ I'd be a bit more thankful if you guys lent me a hand instead of, y'know, _staring at me_! Unless you'd rather have me drop these on the ground for the insects? Maybe store all this inside my hammerspace? Well, I'm sorry if I don't want to put unprotected food in the same place I keep _weapons_!"

"..." "..."

Nepgear blinks once again, and she's quite sure the nurse-in-training behind her does the same.

 _'I have so many questions right now.'_

Again, she's quite sure the peach-haired girl also has.

Eventually, a big sigh sounds, and a moment later Compa makes her way to IF.

"Iffy, why did you keep dropping little berries from the trees? You knew I wasn't paying attention..."

"I-I just thought it would be more efficient than waiting for you guys to finish!"

"You didn't even wanna think about how to store them by yourself?"

"Alright, _maybe_ this wasn't my best idea, but still—"

"Geez..."

"W-What's with that 'I should have expected this' look...?"

That leaves only Nepgear to watch as the peach-haired girl places the berries on the brunette's hold into her basket, one by one as to not accidentally bring everything down, all the while the two girls engage in what can only be described as bickering.

"..."

It's not long until the Candidate exhales her own disbelief, her shoulders slumping in resignation.

Her party, ladies and gentlemen. And she's going to save the world with them.

 _'Goodness, how am I even going to do this...?'_

And so, in a state placed somewhere around utter hopelesness, immense exasperation and simply not caring anymore, the Candidate begins dragging her feet forward, approaching the outright paradoxical nurse-in-training and the highly confounding brunette who is, without a doubt, the most troublesome of her teammates.

That's not to say each one of them isn't pretty troublesome in their own right, however.

An annoying prankster who loves giving mixed signals, a determined nurse who regards herself as a lifeless tool, and a traumatized CPU who has issues enough that the only reason why she doesn't have a therapist is because it would be very, _very_ awkward to say "I got PTSD from dying"?

Whether this is the road to friendship or dysfunctionality is something Nepgear just can't grasp.

At this point, only the future will tell if they'll accomplish anything at all...

...

...

...

Wait a minute...

Suddenly, the Planeptunian Candidate blinks in something akin to realization.

Doesn't it sort of feels like she's forgetting about something really important here...?

...

...

...

 _'It must be my imagination.'_

Yeah, she wouldn't have forgotten it if it really was _that_ important.

 _'... Maybe.'_

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

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* * *

Vibrant and lively as it might be, the great Virtua Forest of Planeptune isn't composed only of trees packed closely together. As expected, clearings for those who would rather enjoy some sunlight instead of endless shade are quite numerous.

And it's in one of such—by its warm and illuminated center, to be more precise—that a certain lilac-haired girl drops down on grass quite unceremoniously, relief written all across her face as she proceeds to cross her legs. Not a moment later does she let out a big, long sigh, as if exhaling all her tiredness at once.

Being a farmer might not include a daily dose of slashing monsters, but the harvest alone feels like slaying _three ancient dragons_ if the entire morning spent gathering materials was of any indication.

Seriously, how come that was so exhaustive?!

"And that's how work feels like, if you're wondering."

At the joking voice, violet eyes don't hesitate to point at its source, narrowing ever so slightly.

Across the white, square blanket placed on the grass, seated carelessly with a knee raised and an arm resting on it, is the expected smiling brunette, her expression bearing only the slightest amount of fatigue.

"Hey, what's with that look?" she asks in an almost mocking voice, raising an eyebrow as a sly smirk appears. "I was just quenching your curiosity, Princess."

Nepgear blinks.

"Princess?"

Yet another nickname for her...?!

... Wait, wasn't she sort of having a monologue about that just a while back?

"Hey, you can't say it's inaccurate," IF points out, leaning slightly forward as her lips twist upwards a bit further. "I mean, it's not like you ever had to work for anything in your life."

"A-Ah..." The Candidate can't help but wince at that, the words stinging quite a bit.

Yes, she _was_ sort of having a monologue about that just a while back.

"I... can't really say you're wrong—"

"Iffy!"

At the sudden shout, two pairs of eyes turn towards the peach-haired girl seated in seiza by her own side of the square blanket, a pair of baskets filled with berries placed next to her.

She is, of course, shooting a fierce chiding look at the brunette to her right.

"You're being too mean!" Compa declares, her voice in a clear reprimanding tone. "Apologize to Ge-Ge!"

"Hey, calm down," IF shifts uncomfortably in her spot, frowning at the nurse-in-training. "I'm just saying. Besides, she agreed, didn't she?"

"Even so...!" It's then that the peach-haired girl then directs her sight towards Nepgear. "Ge-Ge, why don't you defend yourself when Iffy is being a meanie?!"

"W-Well..." The Candidate can only scratch her cheek in embarrassment, a bashful smile crossing her features. "It's pretty hard to defend myself against the truth... I guess..."

"Geez, that's what I'm talking about!"

"C'mon, Comps, just let it go," the brunette asks with a disarming smile, allowing some tiredness to seep into her voice. "You're focusing too much on it."

"Um, yeah." The lilac-haired girl nods, her smile widening just slightly. "I mean, there's no need to make a big deal out of this, right? Aren't we supposed to be relaxing today?"

"B-But..." As pure uncertainty overtakes the nurse-in-training's features as peach-colored eyes continually switch focus between IF and Nepgear, the confused girl attempting to find answers to the several questions in her mind.

Eventually, she slowly comes to a halt.

A few moments later, a big sigh sounds.

"This is so unfair..." Compa mumbles just loud enough for her teammates to hear. "Iffy and Ge-Ge are so confusing sometimes..."

"I... can't really argue with that..." Nepgear concedes, shooting an apologetical look at the nurse-in-training.

"Hey, that just means we're fun," IF rationalizes, allowing a smirk on her features. "Means I'm a jelly cutout instead of paper."

"Now you're just being confusing on purpose," the Candidate mumbles. With a sigh, her smile relaxes noticeably. "Personally, I think a bit more simplicity would be fine too."

 _Especially_ when it comes to the cheerful brunette seated across her, of course.

"Hey, that's, like, your opinion. Doesn't mean I agree, of course. Or care," said brunette comments, placing both hands on the grass as she leans back to a more relaxed position. "Actually, speaking about things that are yours, I just remembered. I was meaning to ask you about something."

"Huh?" The lilac-haired girl blinks quizzically at that, raising a eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Well, basically..." IF begins, curiosity clear on her expression. "What's up with the knives? Never saw you using them before."

"Oh, right—"

"Ah, Ge-Ge made a bunch of them a few days ago!" the nurse-in-training cheerfully responds in Nepgear's stead. "It was a bit before she went out on that date with Miss Nepugia! I think Ge-Ge just wanted to show them off to her."

"T-That was definitely not my intention..." the Candidate argues weakly, not managing to sound exactly convincing. That's fine, thought; she wasn't trying to. " And that wasn't a 'date,' Compa. It was just..."

A mortal fight which led to Nepgear's death, her doppelganger's near murder and the biggest scolding the Candidate ever got from Histoire due to going out during a _freaking rainstorm_.

"... two friends having fun together," she finishes, her lips twitching ever so slightly. "We met, we talked a little, we ate strawberry cake, and nothing else." _**Absolutely** _ nothing else. "I already told you guys."

"Um..." The brunette can only blink at the exchange, shooting a confused stare at the nurse-in-training. "Alright, Gear's selfcestuous narcissism aside—" "H-Hey!" "—why didn't you ever mention the knife thing to me before?"

"Hm?" As IF says that, it's Compa's turn to blink at her friend, tilting her head a bit. "But Iffy never asked."

"... I'm not sure whether to feel amused or appalled that you just gave me that."

"Eh?" At those words, the peach-haired looks even more confused. "But...Iffy really never asked..."

"W-Well..." The brunette's features falter just slightly at that. "In that case, let's just move on from this subject, then..." Forcing her expression to turn into a more cheerful one, she shoots the still quizzical Compa a smile. "So, should I ask why the blanket if there's nothing to put on it?" The girl gestures towards the white silk beneath. "I mean, this almost feels like a picnic, but there's no, you know... food."

"Now that you mention it..." At that, Nepgear also directs her curious sight towards the nurse-in-training. "Shouldn't there be something here?"

"Huh?" Once again, the peach-haired girl's eyelashes flutter up and down, her eyes falling on the empty space before her. "... Ah!" Not a moment later, an alarmed expression overtakes her features. "Right, I was having so much fun talking to everyone I totally forgot...!"

Without delay, the borderline panicked girl leans forward, a double lidded picnic basket materializing in her grasp just in time for her to place it on the center of the blanket. "Here it is, Iffy, Ge-Ge!" she announces, putting a big smile on her face. "I made some sandwiches for us!"

The atmosphere changes at once. Out of nowhere, an aura of oppressiveness and tension fills the peaceful clearing.

Green and violet eyes focus on the container now resting upon white, light brown straw hiding whatever's inside from the eyes of all.

From an outsider's perspective, their gazes quite probably would have been likened to shock, perhaps even disgust, at the prospect of facing their teammate's culinary creation.

As the pair slowly raises their neutral gazes to meet with one another, however, the message which is transferred between amethyst and emerald is indescribable, filled to the brim with an emotion much unlike horror.

And then...

They smile.

"Alright! Compa's food!" IF cheers loudly, eliciting a light blush from the smiling peach-haired girl as she pumps a fist in the air. Following that, she shoots Nepgear a wide grin. "Say, Gear, how about... First-one-to-open-it-gets-an-extra-sandwich." With that, she hastily reaches for the basket.

"No fair!" Nepgear does the same an instant later, her arm jerking almost unnaturally fast towards its target as her entire being refuses _vehemently_ to lose the impromptu challenge.

... Hey, these _are_ Compa-made sandwiches they're talking about.

"Ha!" "Got it!"

Both girls manage to touch the basket at nearly the same time, seamlessly moving to open both lids and _sweet True Goddess what the actual goodness this smells so unbelievably good it's no joke is this real life what is even happening—_

"...!" "?!"

They instantly close the lids shut, their breathing going at a pace much faster than what could be called "normal."

Once again their gazes meet, this time wide as their features are completely overtaken by scarlet desire towards what can only be a meal made by the gods themselves.

And this time there _is_ some measure of horror included.

"IF, did you..." "Gear, was that..."

They both pause as their voices clash, one waiting for the other to speak.

"..."

"..."

Neither does, however.

Slowly their eyes turn towards Compa, the peach-haired girl now bearing a flushed face much like theirs.

She wipes off the thin trail of drool a moment later.

"Ah, this is..." the nurse-in-training begins just as their blushes begin to fade, averting her eyes from both her questioning teammates. "M... Maybe I used too much magi—I mean, I swear they weren't like that before."

"... I feel like you said something really startling just now," Nepgear mutters, still perplexed at what she experienced.

The tension is broken by IF's sigh, the girl leaning back to her spot and running a hand through her hair. "That's not food, Compa. With that sort of smell it's _monster bait_." She pauses for a moment. "... Actually, it's anything bait, but you get my point. I don't think we should eat something that strong. Don't wanna kill my tastebuds before dinner, y'know."

"She's right." The Candidate nods, although it's quite easy to notice the slight disappointment on her features. "Goodness, who knows how our stomachs would react to it..."

Or her mind, for that matter. She'll have to look up later whether you can addicted to something in one go, because those _things_ might've just managed that.

"Uh..." As expected, defeat overtakes Compa's expression, her shoulders slumping. "Sorry... Even though I wanted us to have a nice picnic..."

"Hey, it's no big deal," the brunette responds nonchalantly, waving a hand as if to blow all worries away. "I mean, even if we got monster bait instead of a picnic, there's nothing stopping us from chilling out for a bit here."

"Y-Yeah!" The lilac-haired girl shoots the nurse-in-training a big, reassuring smile. "We already finished our quests, and there are only a few monsters in this area. We can rest a little before going home if you want."

"..." Embarassed peach-colored eyes focus on Nepgear for a moment, as if attempting to spot something. Then, they do the same with IF, analyzing every single detail. It's not long until they fall on the grass beneath, the nurse-in-training's frown becoming even more noticeable amidst her crestfallen features. "... Thanks..."

At that, the brunette can't help let her lips twist into the gentlest smile she can manage. "Hey, just relax, Comps. You have to deal with classes and keeping Planeptune afloat. Meanwhile, I do so many quests that I'm seriously thinking about taking a long break, or... y'know, hanging up the active agent mantle so I actually have time to spare for the whole CPUs matter. And Gear..."

It's then that IF shoots the Candidate a questioning glance.

"..."

Nepgear can only avert her eyes.

"... She probably has her own stuff to deal with too," the brunette finishes quite lamely, her focus returning to the peach-haired girl. "Point is, even if we worked far below the norm with just those fetch quests, and even though our reward today is pretty abysmal, we really needed a calm day to unwind a bit. And that's all we should be doing here, got it?"

"Hm..." A few moments pass, and Compa slowly raises her disappointed gaze to meet IF's. "I know, Iffy, but I just wanted some sandwiches too... Not a version of that cool speech you spent yesterday making up..."

"..." "..."

The silence that follows the innocently spoken words is palpable. The gaze Nepgear sends IF is certainly punchable.

Fortunately, the red-faced brunette looks too speechless to take her up on the wordless offer.

"... Ah." After several instants, a scarlet shade appears on the brunette's cheeks. "Right, um, anyway, just focus on relaxing." Directing her emerald orbs towards Nepgear, she then proceeds to obviously force a confident smile. "I mean, we all need to just calm down and forget all our troubles sometimes, right?"

"Um, of course." It takes a bit of an effort for the Candidate to return the smile, and even then it comes as fragile and fake as the other girl's.

The reason for that is quite simple, really.

 _'That wasn't a nice save, IF... Not at all...'_

Seriously, that was so cringy it almost hurt.

 _'Still, you're not wrong...'_

As the brunette turns her attention back to the peach-haired girl, that's the thought which crosses Nepgear's mind.

Gamindustri is in massive trouble. The CPUs, including her own sister, are imprisoned in the Graveyard. The people have already lost faith in those who once protected them. The entire continent is in recession and only barely fighting its way out of it, and that's being optmistic. Piracy is almost a necessity to obtain nice things. The world changed far more than the Candidate is able to take at once. Everyone she knew either disappeared to another path of life or became a completely different person, even if not exactly unrecognizable. Her friends are no more, and in place are just friendly acquaintances and a certain person who seemingly switches between hating and liking her at a moment's notice.

And the task of making everything right is up to Nepgear.

All those are just what the lilac-haired girl could find by the edges of her mind; there must be a thousand more problems for her to remember or finally notice. It's simply unbelievable, utterly ludicrous, to think that she has this sort of responsibility on her shoulders; even now, she has no idea from where to begin.

Which is why being able to forget about the world and relax, even if for just a short while, is pretty much a blessing to her.

Corruption, famine, rampant crimes; at the moment, none of them matter. As Nepgear watches IF speak to Compa nonstop, and the peach-haired girl's cheer slowly return as her lips begin to twist upwards, the smile which once was fake becomes more and more genuine.

In this little world of theirs, there are no struggles, no wars and no suffering; only three girls saying and doing whatever they want.

Thus, there is no hesitation when the Candidate carefully leans back, arms outstretched as she softly hits grass a moment later. And there is no reluctance when she decides to slowly close her eyes, letting darkness cover all as the cool breeze passes by and the morning's sunlight bathes her body.

Even if it's just an illusion, even if it's only fleeting, this sort of peace is everything the Planeptunian Candidate could ask for.

To be swallowed by it is to become blind and deaf alike, that much is true.

But to let it all be wasted is much worse, isn't it?

Which is why she'll make use of this peace, not allowing the chance to escape her grasp.

Right now, Nepgear will just... relax...

...

...

...

...

...

...

 ***Bzzzt***

 _'... Huh?'_

That was her N-Gear, right?

Opening her eyes once more with a light groan, the girl lazily reaches for the device. Taking it out of its holster and holding it above her face, she proceeds to press a random butting, prompting the screen to light up and revealing a simple notification.

 **1 new message.**

 _'Hm...?'_

Curiousity overtaking her mind and features, the girl touches the screen, opening the text she received.

What she sees there is quite far from expected.

 **Histoire —10:33**

 **I have just finished partaking in my break at an amusement park with a friend of mine. It was quite spectacular.**

 **As I was there, I made sure to seek a Mascot plushie for you. It was somewhat difficult to find it, but I managed eventually.**

 **I should note that many others were also searching for it, and perhaps some still are. It seems the Mascot is incredibly popular.**

 **That said, the plushie is now patiently waiting for your return. Come back soon.**

"..."

Nepgear blinks.

Then she blinks again.

And she blinks yet another time for good measure.

"... Eh?"

Seriously, what?

 _'This... This **is** her number, right?'_

All things considered, this looks much like something _Days_ would send her, _not_ Histoire. Did the Candidate manage to swap their numbers?

... No, that's impossible. Nepgear registered the Oracle's number the moment she received the N-Gear, and Histoire even double-checked it. The lilac-haired girl literally _can't_ have gotten anything wrong. Therefore, this _is_ from the Oracle.

Except that makes _absolutely no sense,_ she immediately reminds herself.

Why the heavens would _Histoire_ of all people go to _an amusement park_? It might be Saturday, but Nepgear knows for a fact that the fairy's job is _miles beyond busy_ _even on Sundays,_ what with the fairy always refusing her help!

And, goodness, _why_ would she go out of her way to seek... a... Mascot...

...

...

...

"Ah."

That's when realization slowly seeps in, the answer presenting itself to the girl.

...

...

...

"AAAHH!"

It's not long until it proceeds to hit Nepgear _hard,_ the girl screaming as she panickedly scrambles to her feet, fumbling with her N-Gear a bit before finally managing to place it in its holster.

Hastily, the Candidate directs her eyes towards her two teammates—who are currently staring at her like she's freaking insane, but, really, _who cares_?

And then, with amethyst eyes wide, breathing ragged and heart almost beating out of her chest, Nepgear lets out four simple words, in the most urgent tone she ever spoke in her whole life.

 _"We need to go."_

* * *

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 _ **I am so late, what the goodness.**_

 _ **And, to make things worse, this is just a boring setup chapter! What's up with that?!**_

 _ **... Well, I hope the chapter's purposefuly-larger-than-the-planned-11k-words size sort of makes up for it. It's not the same ludicrous 18k words from the last chapter, but it's almost.**_

 _ **By this point, I'm sure most people are wondering what the actual hell was I doing during the past whole month for this thing to come five freaking weeks after the last chapter.**_

 _ **It's quite simple, really.**_

 _ **As expected, I finished a chapter three weeks ago.**_

 _ **It was also so boring, uninspired and bland that I razed it on the day of the update. I mean, this chapter is sort of uninspired too, but I'm talking about something way worse.**_

 _ **Because, of course, I couldn't just have noticed it, like, a week before the damn update, when the that trash was just half-done.**_

 _ **Basically, that massive setback, coupled with a stupidly busy life, general laziness, the annual National Exams from last weekend and me thoughtlessly buying God Eater on Steam resulted in this.**_

 _ **In other words, it's all my own damn fault.**_

 _ **... Sorry?**_

 _ **That aside, we're finally a step away from a scene which is reached in the first thirty minutes of gameplay! My only regret is not being able to include Nepugia in here without destroying the flow.**_

 _ **No more Ge-Geo just yet, y'all!**_

 _ **Now that I think about it, it's pretty funny how just about anyone else would have written the first Mascot event in the third chapter. I guess I'm just very, very weird!**_

 _ **... That sounds sort of sad when I say it like that.**_

 _ **Well, looking at things from that angle, the plot certainly is moving at a stupidly slow speed, but the alternative is forgoing character development.**_

 _ **That's bad, by the way.**_

 _ **Also, this structure seriously helps me in learning how to write Slice-of-Life. Because** **this is what the story is, a Slice-of-Life focusing on the consequences of Nepgear having the ability to return from death, which just so happens to be set during an alternate mk2!**_

 _ **It might seem like I lose sight of the plot sometimes, but it's not like the characters were unhealthily obsessed with destroying ASIC or something. Even during the ASIC War, everyone also had lives, you know?**_

 _ **Now, with all that dealt with, there's only one thing I need to address: the age detail I'm sure many are confused about.**_

 _ **Basically, mk2's/RB2's Conquest reveals that CPUs are born little, but not necessarily as babies, before growing up and "freezing" at some point, most likely between 13~14 and 20. It also points out that Nepgear grew up alongside Neptune, which makes her the oldest Candidate since Uni and the twins can't be that old, what with them still being a secret from everyone in Ganindudustri by the time Gear meets them.**_

 _ **Furthermore, it's a fact that all the past CPUs sacrificed themselves to seal Arfoire, meaning Neptune, Nepgear, Noire, Blanc and Vert were born at around the same time. Assuming mk2 happens in G.C. 2006 due to the necessary "many years" between it and G.C. 2012 that V points out, hypothesizing that the CPUs are born as 5-year-old infants since being "defenseless baby Goddesses" sounds unbelievably risky for future rulers, remembering how Nepgear classified herself as a "young girl" in the game and keeping in mind how Uni, Rom and Ram must have already matured by the time Nepgear is freed, these are the most probable birth years I could think for everyone:**_

 _ **The four CPUs and Nepgear: around the early 80s.**_

 _ **Uni, Rom and Ram: around the mid 90s.**_

 _ **Now notice the age difference in Unigear.**_

 _ **This might seem like useless information, but it really shows just how much of a sheltered princess Nepgear was in mk2/RB2, and also how everything in Neptunia is surprisingly complex yet fitting when you really think about every single detail.**_

 _ **Then again, a better series wouldn't require this much thought just to make sense... Oh, well.**_

 _ **And one more bit of information about aging here: as V showed with baby Makers and lots of people not becoming noticeably older after the long timeskips, normal Gamindustrians have almost the same aging thing as CPUs, except they "slow down" instead of "freezing." One might argue that this is in another dimension, thus everything works differently, but the fact that neither Neptune nor Nepgear comment on it heavily implies it's the same in the Hyperdimension. Personally, I'd say that they go by "10 years = 1 biological year."**_

 _ **In other words, Mr. Badd is old.**_

 _ **And so, after pointing out all that boring lore that seems to be canon yet isn't properly explained in-game, I should probably end this overly long A/N already!**_

 _ **See y'all soon, review if you'd like and thanks for not giving up on me just yet!**_

 _ **P.S.: Some people might be a tad weirded out by how I write A/Ns before the last scene, but think of it as either resetting the mood or using Stingers. I feel like it works way better than gluing wildly different scenes together!**_

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" ***Huff* *Huff***..."

Broken devices, plastics filled with waste, empty packagings discarded without a second thought; littered around the thin alleyway are all sorts of trash, free to release their putrid smell with no one to interfere.

 _It's disgusting._

" ***Huff***... ***Huff***..."

The walls of this dirty place, adorned by many pipes coming to and from the apartments on the other side, are outright scarred, their bricks exposed to the world and marred by graffiti as the white which once covered them long ago find ls itself cracked, worn out by time and never repaired.

 _This decaying sight is disgusting._

" ***Huff***..."

Strewn about the concrete are many people, over ten men and women alike of the most diverse appearances, each wearing clothes such as hoodies, T-shirts, jeans, tight tops, sunglasses and anything else they could find to make themselves feel better about being worthless, lowlife thugs. Left behind by those who still had strength left to run, they can do nothing but shift and groan from their deserved place on the ground.

 _Their entire group, every single one of them, is disgusting._

" ***Huff***... Tch..."

It just so happens those bastards are also too damn numerous.

"... ***Huff***..."

Sweat trails down elven light gray skin as heavy breaths sound, their pace growing slower with every passing second. Ignoring a few green strands of the chest-length, slightly spiky hair on the way, the girl's ruby eyes wander around the alleyway, if only to make sure none of the fallen pieces of trash is planning something.

On an nearly automatic trained motion, the girl's left hand, gloved in black back and red palm much like the other, raises to readjust her dark-colored choker, all the while she makes sure to maintain the metallic pipe tightly into her right grasp, unwilling to be taken off-guard if one of her enemies decides to try and pull off something stupid.

'Something stupid' is probably all these morons ever did in their lives, after all.

Just as the elf scratches the back of her pointy ear on a mere whim, a last heavy sigh escapes her lips, and with that her breathing is normalized.

It wasn't particularly hard to take all the idiots down, but, _damn_ , it was no walk in the park either. That's what numbers do, she figures.

Right now, the girl's baggy gray pants, tucked neatly inside black boots, are even more crumpled than usual, as is her tube top of the same color as the footwear, its small leather doing nothing to hide her silver two-pieced bellybutton ring; instead, the tiny apparel covers only just enough as a pair of strings form an X over the exposed center of her somewhat underdeveloped chest, as if to connect the two halves of a cracked heart placed on both side of the cutout, red on her right and yellow on her left.

Fortunately, although her stamina has taken quite the hit, the girl looks only slightly worse for wear, her back not slumped in the slightest and her limbs still functioning at a certified hundred percent. These were only a bunch of weaklings she had to take care of, after all.

Unfortunately, this battle is still far from over. Whoever managed to escape is surely bringing reinforcements.

Lowlifes are sore losers, after all.

She'd know it.

 ***Bzzzt***

"...?"

At the sudden vibrating noise, the girl glances to her side. On the ground nearby, all crumpled up after being pulled off her body in the scuffle—an action that guaranteed these morons a couple extra punches—is a gray coattail jacket, its interior red and both its zipper and tail edges designed in a zigzag shape. To top it off on the matter of individuality she doesn't particularly care about, the bicolored cracked heart symbol is clear on its back, right above a black bone cross, and its hood resembles the head of a rat, with white whiskers painted on it, a pair of circular ears and a beady nose.

Without a second thought, the elf walks up to the outerwear and picks it up, dusting it off for a moment before putting her arms,pipe alongside, through the sleeves. After making sure that the piece of clothing is in place, she proceeds to raise the hood over her head before reaching into the jacket, fishing for something hidden within.

Not an instant later, her left hand comes back with a black flip phone in its grasp. The girl doesn't waste time in opening it, her face impassive yet attentive as she begins pressing several buttons with the speed and technique only a borderline addict would have.

A lot of spam in her inbox, some online friends sent her links to funny videos on NepTube, that Emerald Gust person everybody seems to know has altered her status to "Berries are actually pretty heavy" _for whatever damn reason_ , there's a new message from an unknown number with what seems to be ASIC code, a new episode of that one cop drama she likes was just released—

Wait, back up a bit.

The greenette presses a few more buttons, opening the message.

That's when her ruby eyes narrow.

It's an unintelligible sequence of letters, numbers and symbols meshed together with no apparent meaning.

Unless you are an ASIC member of a high enough rank to understand it, that is.

 _Then these are coordinates._

And very last word makes it _quite clear_ what they're for when deciphered.

Six letters, two syllables and one of the biggest damn ticking bombs lying just beside all the progress ASIC ever made, just waiting for a reason to explode and send everything to hell.

Without delay, just ten seconds after first grabbing her phone, the girl closes the device and places it back somewhere into her jacket, fully hidden from sight. When talking about discoveries, the spy is always late; there's probably someone heading towards the damn thing already.

She has to hurry.

It's then that ruby eyes wander to the fallen living trash littered around the alleyway. She should probably deal with them first, right? As for a way to do it fast...

Immediately, the elf shoots a glance behind her, letting out two simple words in her usual rough, strident voice. "Hey, kid!"

"A-Ah!" The scared little girl, her age no doubt somewhere around 10, jumps in place at the voice, her long, blue hair waving around as much as her gray dress as a pair of yellow, cybernetic-looking eyes widen. "Y-Yes?!"

"There's a police station a few blocks down, the same direction as the ice cream parlour. Run there and tell them to take out the trash here," the elf asks, her voice in a calm yet commanding tone. "Also, stay on the sidewalk, and just scream as loud as you can if anybody tries grabbing you."

"Huh?" An answer doesn't come immediately, something between uncertainty and fear on the small blunette's features. "B-But... You..."

"Just go, dammit!" the greenette shouts, her tone carrying as much annoyance as possible. "Your mom's probably there, y'know? I'll be fine, so just scram already!"

"U-Um..." Amber eyes focus on the taller elf, and then slowly wander towards the beaten up thugs scattered around. "I-I..."

Inside her closed mouth, the greenette grits her teeth. Why is she taking so long...?! Does she _want_ to wait around until more of these bastards show up?!

"A-Alright!" Just as the elf is about to open her mouth once more, the little girl seems to finally makes up her damn mind. "Thank you very much, ma'am!" she outright shouts before hastily turning around, taking off towards the exit of the alleyway as fast as possible.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" the greenette shouts back just as the small blunette disappears from sight.

It's not until a moment later that realization strikes.

"And who the hell is a 'ma'am,' you damn brat...?"

That insulting word aside, it looks like everything's dealt with now. The cops will show up real soon, these dumbasses are gonna either meet familiar faces or give their moms a reason to verbally murder them for the first time, and she's finally free to do her actual job in peace!

Now to get the hell out of this place before—

 _"There she is!" "Get 'er!"_

— _that_ happens.

"Oh, for the love of..." Wearing the most annoyed scowl she can manage, the greenette turns her sight back forward, facing the multitude of lowlifes now standing several meters deeper into the alleyway. Behind them is an ugly, decaying wall, much like the one to their right; it's from a path to their left that they came, so of course the girl wouldn't have seen them coming until they were literally in front of her.

Just like they are right now.

 _'Dammit.'_

Should have just grabbed the kid and legged it. Would have ended this crap way earlier.

Fortunately, the thugs aren't advancing, instead simply glaring at her in unison as though that'd burn her or something. As expected, they know the girl before them dangerous.

On one hand, that means they're expecting an attack so much the greenette can probably turn tail and scram right now, with no one managing to catch her if she's fast enough—and she'd say she's pretty damn fast if you ask her. Afterwards, in about ten minutes or so, the cops will pass by and put those small fry somewhere where they can cool the hell off, all while the greenette is far away from here.

On the other hand...

She's feeling kinda pissed off right now.

"Alright... I didn't really wanna do this about two minutes ago, but you dumbasses are just asking for it."

Calmly, the greenette closes her eyes, taking in as much air as her pulmons can, doing her damnedest to ignore the stink which comes along. Then, she exhales it all, as if to bring peace to her mind.

"I'm a busy gal, though, and I only got some minutes to spare. Y'know, unlike you bunch of aimless failures."

A minuscule smirk finds its way to the elf's lips. She can almost _feel_ their glares intensifying with each word.

In a practiced motion, she brings up her metallic pipe and places it over her shoulder, placing her left foot forward and relaxing her stance. Many would believe her to be an amateur, completely unguarded.

Many would also meet the ground an instant later.

"In that case, I just want y'all brain-dead muscleheads to decide on something. Don't worry, it's real simple."

In that moment, ruby eyes snap open _._

 _And Linda lets out a wide, vicious grin._

 ** _"So, who goes first?"_**


	9. First Hunt - Envoy of Progress

***tick* *tock* *tick* *tock***

Constant, unwielding, as if a melody nothing short of eternal.

Sounding every second without fail, that is how the curt yet recognizable noise comes from the antique stand clock, its pendulum swaying from side to side in a perfect, almost elegant rhythm behind the polished glass.

 ***tick* *tock* *tick* *tock***

As time goes by, in the same manner it always does, the refined wooden frame remains as still as expected, trapped between a purple, plastic-like bookshelf, filled to the brim with all sorts of interesting literature, and a plain but no less stylish large vase, its white body housing a small tree painted by a vibrant green. Opposite to the three objects, touching the other wall, is a simple violet couch, wide enough for three people, placed before a small, rectangular tea table of the same color.

All things considered, it's a rather spartan setup, far from a luxurious room filled with gold; still, it's hard to deny that it possesses much more identity, much more charm, than a hundred of empty treasures displaying their vain value.

Lovely as such a simple sight is, however, it's also a fact that the attractions present here are not limited to it.

 ***tick* *tock* *tick* *tock***

At the far end of this enclosed room cooled by air-conditioning, opposite to the gracefully generic dark oak door, is a large pane much unlike the three metallic white walls nearby, its see-through surface allowing the distant azure sky and the soft clouds adorning it to show themselves in all their beauty.

Completely unimpeded, free to illuminate all it can, the light of midday shines upon the luxurious black wooden chair standing a mere meter away from glass, and alongside it the big, undoubtedly expensive desk of the same material, its smooth surface almost completely hidden by stack after stack of paper.

 ***tick* *tock* *tick* *tock***

And yet, as Nepgear stands by the open door, her eyes wandering around the room before her, there is but a simple thought which crosses the girl's mind, an obvious realization any would have when stumbling upon this place.

"... There's nobody here," the Candidate finally mutters in disbelief.

"Hm?" At those words, Compa peers over Nepgear's shoulder, no doubt about as confused as her. "This is weird... didn't Histoire send you a message herself?"

"Yes, she did..." Taking hesitant steps forward, letting her boots touch the purple carpet on the floor, the lilac-haired girl lets her sight wash all over the furniture, eventually stopping at the desk by the glass pane. Finally, she turns back toward the nurse, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Maybe we're here earlier than she expected...?"

All things considered, she can't think of any other reason for this. Histoire isn't one to just disappear at the worst times.

"Yeah... It's definitely maybe that," the peach-haired girl nods before glancing at the stacks of paper on the desk, an uncharacteristic scowl forming on her lips. "Histoire does have lots of stuff to deal with. It kinda reminds me of... _home_ _work_..."

At the utter repulsion coming from the usually sweet girl, Nepgear can't help but smile. "I guess you're not that fond of it?"

"Ugh, don't even remind me, Ge-Ge..." Compa groans, the sound almost alien coming from her. "I'm soooo glad I just graduated a few days ago!"

"... You did?" Nepgear blinks. Isn't she only _15_? "But, goodness, three years ago you were just starting off! How is that even possible?"

"Ah, um..." Clearly noticing the outright amazement in the lilac-haired girl's voice, the actually-not-nurse-in-training's cheeks redden considerably as she starts playing with the hems of her skirt. "Actually, they let students do some complicated tests to... skip years... if they really want to... So I, um, took a couple of them..."

"... They let people skip years in medical school," Nepgear repeats flatly, if only to make it easier to digest the outrageous piece of information.

"W-Well, kinda..." Compa nods, averting her eyes from the lilac-haired girl in embarrassment. "I mean, the tests were all sorts of difficult... and included pretty much everything they were supposed to teach in the year..." Letting go of her skirt, the girl then joins both her hands behind her, managing to look even meeker than before. "And you sort of needed to... get a perfect score—"

"You got a perfect score," Nepgear mutters in a voice that could pass for a robot's, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You literally _skipped_ medical school _in three years_."

"U-Um..." As expected, the peach-haired girl's blush grows darker at each word coming from the Planeptunian Candidate, only a miracle allowing their eyes to meet again. "I-I guess so...?"

For the first few seconds, utter silence envelops the room, amethyst eyes staring at the nurse and nothing more.

It's about then that it hits Nepgear.

"I-Is that even _legal_?!" the Planeptunian Candidate borderline screeches as she takes hold of the other girl, who's too surprised to react. "I mean, that's amazing, but you— _Three years_?!"

Had she gotten used to the present properly rather than spending most of her time in the Basilicom, perhaps Nepgear would have remembered that such a thing isn't that unusual nowadays in the Land of Progress, especially with the large number of overly eager youngsters that began showing up ever since hostile monsters became the norm.

Right now, however? With the same old mindset of a person who lived through relative peace ever since they were born? Coupled with the stunning news that this girl she knew for years now is suddenly a full-fledged professional nurse?

That detail might as well have been erased from the Candidate's mind.

"I-It's nothing special, Ge-Ge! Really!" Compa attempts to assure the shocked girl, lightly pushing her away. "People graduate and get jobs early all the time now! Besides, I just had my grandpa teach me lots, so it wasn't that hard!"

Once again, Nepgear finds herself blinking like an idiot. "... You have a job?"

The nurse nods bashfully, her blush receding just a little bit. "Y-Yup. Ever since I got it, I've using up my holidays to help the Basilicom, though..."

"Is that so..." the Candidate mutters in amazement. "Goodness, you're so lucky to have such a nice boss."

It's then that Compa freezes.

Of course, Nepgear notices it right away, raising a questioning eyebrow. "You... You did speak to them about this, right?"

"C-Can we talk about something else, Ge-Ge?" the obviously nervous girl asks, doing her fakest genuine smile and clapping both hands in front of her. "How about, um, the difficulties we'll face ahead in our quest?"

"... How have you not been fired yet?"

"Um..." At the overly blunt question coming from the usually thoughtful girl, Compa's smile twitches. "Ha... hahaha..."

"No, I'm serious, how?"

"J-Just let it go, please..." the peach-haired girl outright begs, her fake cheerfulness crumbling away in an instant. "I already got lots to worry about, don't remind me about that..."

"Really, now..." Nepgear sighs, unsure of how else to react. She would have expected this from the likes of IF, _not_ Compa.

... Speaking about the brunette harbinger of trouble, where did she wander off to? That girl just said she had to go to the restroom—

"Looks like you guys are having fun here."

 _'Speak of the goodness...'_

At the familiar voice, both girls direct their sights to the office's entrance.

 _'... Huh."_

And, an instant later, disbelief covers both of their faces.

For standing by the doorway is not only IF, bearing the most genuine embarrassed expression Nepgear has ever seen, but also a certain unamused book fairy, floating besides the brunette with folded arms.

And then, she lets out a big sigh.

"On my way back, a few floors beneath us, Ryuka came to me with a certain girl she witnessed attempting to, as you would say, "sneak off" a number of refreshments from a vending machine," Histoire explains in a flat tone, to which IF can only squirm in her spot. "I shall allow you three guesses as to who said girl was."

"..."

"..."

Just like that, silence reigns once more in the office.

It's not long, however, until Compa sums up quite nicely both hers and Nepgear's thoughts.

"Huh?"

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"Very well," Histoire speaks from her spot behind the desk, eyeing the three girls standing before her. "Shall I begin the explanation?"

"Y-Yeah, that'd be nice," IF nods hastily, her smile so wide and so fake the most dense idiot would notice her embarrassment.

And, really, she does deserve to feel said embarrassment.

"We could be starting a lot earlier," Compa laments, shaking her head in disappointment. "If only Iffy didn't misbehave."

"Goodness, we're so late now..." Nepgear sighs, running a hand through her hair. "But IF had to misbehave."

At that, the brunette's smile twitches. "Hey, I'm right here, you two..."

"We know," both girls respond instantly.

"Why, you..." IF grumbles under her breath, glaring daggers at the traitors. "It's not my fault I didn't have any change."

 _'It definitely is,'_ the Candidate finds herself thinking, and she's pretty sure the nurse next to her does the same.

Seriously, what's with this troublemaker...?

" _A-ny-way!_ " Histoire speaks up impatiently, catching the three girls' full attention. "I shall be brief, then. Using the sample of Nepgear's mana I obtained when she was in coma, we have finally pinpointed the location of the Mascot. Basically, it is in the depths of the area known as Virtua Forest. Shall you head out immediately, or do you have any questions?"

"...?" Nepgear blinks.

Then she attempts to think about what she heard.

Something which only makes her blink again.

What was that just now?

"Um, sorry, but..." The girl begins hesitantly, confusion all over her face as three pairs of eyes turn towards her. "Well, how do I say this..." For a moment, violet eyes dart around the room bashfully, her mind attempting to find the next words. "Is that all? I mean, goodness, we don't even have coordinates..."

"Hm?" At that, Histoire raises an eyebrow. "Did neither IF nor Compa explain it to you?"

Nepgear raises an eyebrow. "Explain what...?"

"Oh, that's right!" Compa suddenly perks up, realization surging all over her face as she turns towards the lilac-haired girl. "When Histoire gives us a mission, the details are all sent straight to our phones, or whatever else we use! Clean and neat!" That said, her lips curl into an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry I forgot to tell Ge-Ge. I didn't even think about it..."

"The transfer happens directly, with a wireless system. It even bypasses any security we might put in our devices, since Histoire is an Oracle and sort of has the authority," IF continues, shooting the Candidate a small, somehow embarassed smirk. "Sorry, it totally escaped my mind to talk about it. I mean, it's not like we talk much in the first place, but still..."

"A-Ah, um, don't worry about it. I mean, it's not like it got anyone in trouble, right?" The Candidate responds bashfully as her eyes move between her two teammates, her features even more embarrassed than theirs. Following that, she turns towards the Planeptunian Oracle with a smile. "That aside, it does sound very safe."

"It most certainly is, yes." Histoire nods, a slight sense of pride in her voice. "Even written instructions present more risk, as a piece of paper can be lost or stolen quite easily. Now, are there any further doubts?"

"To tell the truth, yeah," this time it's the brunette who speaks, embarrassment all over her face. "So, um, I know this might sound like a stupid question, but, well..."

"There are no such thing as a stupid question, IF," the Oracle reassures her with a smile. "You may ask whatever you wish to."

If she asks about snacks, however, Nepgear _will_ smack her.

"Oh, well... Alright, then..." Seemingly mustering up all her courage, the girl stares straight towards the the fairy, bearing the most bashful smile possible. Then, without further hesitation, as three pairs of eyes focus on her, she opens her mouth, and...

"The heck's a Mascot, anyway?"

"..." Nepgear blinks.

"..." Compa, of course, also blinks.

"..." As if to accentuate the point further, Histoire also participates in the fine art of blinking.

...

...

...

 _"Eh?!"_

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 ***Chapter 6***

 **First Hunt —Envoy of Progress**

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The few rays of the early evening sunlight which the rustling leaves above don't block. Whispers of the wind gently passing by. Innumerable trees of all aspects, placed mere meters away from each other. Bushes, flowers and many other small flora strewn around the open yet closed labyrinth of the forest. The cracking of the grass beneath at each step. The occasional digital grids adorning the ground beneath in a seemingly random manner.

It's a familiar scenery, one which the party witnessed mere hours ago amidst their improvised holiday.

This time, however, their objective is much more than mere relaxation.

One might even state that the future of Gamindustri _depends_ on what is about to happen, on whether the party–on whether _the girl_ –is powerful enough to seize this opportunity and obtain more strength. This is far beyond important, far beyond _vital_ , it is the _only way_ they can possibly vanquish the upholders of suffering.

Conflicts won't instantly end, pain will continue to attack as many as it can, crimes won't stop overnight, but at least it'll be the _first step_ to a better Gamindustri.

As such, today isn't just any day.

Today is the day in which they'll gain a fighting chance!

Today is the true start of the fight against the twisted world ASIC wishes to bring!

Today is the beginning of _freedom_ , of the light which will cut through the cold darkness!

 _Today. Is. **The**. **Day**._

"—completely unbelievable! I mean, this is just _stupid_!"

... Now, if only the mood actually matched it.

"Even _Compa_ knew about the Mascots, but I didn't?!" IF continues to complain quite loudly as she walks through the forest, occasionally shooting annoyed glances at the two girls following her lead. "We _really_ need to talk about this whole information thing, you two."

"Um..." The peach-haired girl can only smile bashfully at the brunette ahead. "I thought Ge-Ge had told you about them."

"Hahaha..." Nepgear can only laugh in embarassment, shooting an apologetic look at the scorned Guild member. "I thought Histoire had talked to you."

"Yeah, yeah, and Histoire thought Compa had mentioned it, I _know_." IF lets out an indignant huff, her steps growing a bit more forceful. "This is just like a freaking joke..."

"It does sort of seem that way..." the lilac-haired girl concedes bashfully. Finding out about the brunette's lack of information _was_ a tad unbelievable.

"Exactly! It goes beyond 'not fair' and into 'bad management' territory!" The Guild agent continues, stomping grass as she goes. "Seriously, is there anything important you guys wanna share? Because, hell, I'd be _very glad_ not to be in the dark again!"

"Well..." It's then that Nepgear shoots her a quizzical smile. "What would be considered 'important'?"

"Not what you ate this morning, for one," IF replies dryly, shooting a look behind. "I don't know, maybe you could start by explaining when you became Assassingear?"

"Huh?" The Candidate blinks, her confused features half unseen behind the dark scarf paired with the black cloak. It's quite fortunate her hood is down, or else it'd be pretty much impossible to see her expressions. "Ah... Today, maybe? I'm not really a hundred percent sure about changing classes just yet."

"But you still got the totally conspicuous trick-concealing cloak anyway," the brunette points out, just in time to duck beneath a particularly low branch. "Either you're getting ahead of yourself or this whole 'assassin' thing is a bit more than a whim."

"Uh, I do have some fitting skills," the lilac-haired girl replies quite awkwardly.

"Yeah? Like what?"

"... Climbing walls?"

"So, what you're telling me is that you actually _are_ a roach." At that, a smirk crosses IF's features as she directs her sight forward, nonchalantly taking out her green flip phone from its holster and opening it. "Good to know."

"I-I'm just saying!" the Candidate shoots back defensively, only to bashfully avert her eyes from the brunette's form right after. "I mean, I _know_ that the cloak looks a bit strange, and, uh, I'm aware that having this sort of skillset is... _questionable_. I just think I might have a future like this... Being this class, I mean."

No matter how she feels sort of dirty just thinking about it.

"Um, I think Ge-Ge looks pretty cool!" the nurse next to the lilac-haired girl happily assures her, shooting a smile. "And isn't knowing more things good?"

"I... guess so..." Nepgear nods, even if a tad hesitantly, doing her best to ignore the teasing glance from the brunette.

Compa's really nice, isn't she?

"So, I hate to stop you guys before you start making out, but according to this here," IF begins as she turns towards them, cheerfully brandishing her green flip phone, "the Mascot is right there!" she declares, pointing to her right towards...

... the empty space above a bush?

Nepgear tilts her head as she stares, and she's quite sure Compa does the same.

It continues to be a glaringly empty space. And it's still very clearly above a bush.

"... Is the Mascot inside Iffy's head?" the nurse wonders out loud.

"I'm starting to think so..." the Candidate replies worriedly, eyeing the brunette strangely. "Sh... Should we bring her back to Histoire...?"

"Hey, hold on! I'm not crazy, you guys!" IF protests loudly, scowling at the other two. "What you're not seeing here is something only a really expensive and upgraded sensor can find. That means my phone, by the way." Without further explanations, she then walks up to the bush, standing right in front of it. "Now, c'mere for a second, roach."

"... She really won't stop it, will she?" the Candidate mumbles to herself with a frown. Letting out a big sigh, she calmly moves to the spot next to IF, vacantly staring at the supposedly special empty space. "So, what should I do?"

"First of all, raise both your hands forward," the Guild member responds with a smile, to which Nepgear does without complaint. "Feeling anything there?"

"That I'm being pranked, for one..." comes the lilac-haired girl's instant answer, as uncertain as it is dry.

"Not this time, NEETgear." As her lips form a grin, the brunette doesn't even attempt to shoot back; rather, she seems strangely cheerful for some reason. "Try concentrating a good amount of mana right there, then just let it all out."

"Alright..." Pushing her doubts to the back of her mind for the time being, Nepgear does so, charging up a good amount of energy around her hands. "I really hope this leads to something..."

Then, as IF and Compa watch with expectation and confusion in their gazes...

She lets it burst forth.

And the world turns white.

* * *

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...

...

...

Purity.

Utter and complete cleanness.

At this moment, each and every notable smell which existed mere instants ago, no matter how strong, is simply no more. Instead, all which is left is a powerful yet soothing wind, bringing alongside it no traces of the lively forest.

Then, Nepgear opens her eyes.

And, for a moment, the girl truly believes she is dreaming.

A gray, metallic pathway adorned with low guardrails protuding from its edges is what stands under her feet, leading to a circular platform of the same material. From there, several more pathways extend themselves, either dead ends suddenly cut off at some point or connections to other platforms which have their own connections, and so on.

It is much like a wall-less maze. A unique sight, without a doubt.

Except it is nowhere near as amazing as everything else.

As the gust blows past, gently ruffling both Nepgear's dark cloak and scarf, wide stunned amethyst can't do much besides analyzing the scenery before it.

Abnormally massive roots extend themselves all over the so-called maze, blocking its full view from where the girl stands. Many times they come from beneath to converge several meters above, all in order to form contorted, irregular yet no less beautiful archways, their plenty "legs" formed by many twisted roots each, all the while never once touching metal.

Slowly, almost automatically, the girl's feet bring her to the pathway's right edge, where her sight washes over all, be it upwards, downwards or simply before her.

And the fascination in her mind only grows.

Water all around. Reaching up to a mere meter under the maze is a large lake, its facet crystal clear yet bottom impossible to see. By its edges, far way from Nepgear, are innumerable gigantic trees placed together, their details hidden by a thin white fog as weakened rays of light descend from what must be the sun in the sky.

There's no doubt about it. This is one of those "enclosed dungeons" she always heard about.

The lilac-haired girl never imagined that her first one would be like this, though...

"Holy heck, this place is way more amazing than I expected..."

"It kind of looks like a dream...!"

"...?"

At the voices coming from the right a bit behind her, the Candidate turns around, her sight finding the sources in a single moment.

Standing by the pathway's dead end–right in front of where an invisible entrance undoubtedly is–are IF and Compa, both bearing expressions somewhere between stunned and amazed as their eyes slowly move from spot to spot, taking in the incredible scenery.

At the sight of her awestruck teammates, Nepgear can't help but let out a quiet laugh. Of course, it goes unnoticed in favor of two girls' focused sightseeing, but it's not as if she really expected them to hear it.

It's kinda funny, really. From what the Candidate remembers, the brunette in particular was never the sort of person who can just sit around and appreciate whatever looks pretty. To see her being dazed like this is quite the amusing sight.

It's also a testament to just how otherworldly beautiful this strange place is.

"Y'know, it's pretty fitting" the brunette comments, turning towards the lilac-haired girl. "The dungeon, I mean. It has this 'divine' feeling, so it sort of matches how only Goddesses are supposed to get in here."

At that, Nepgear can't help but blink in confusion. "Wait, what?"

"Only CPUs should be able to enter this place?" Compa voices the CPU's confusion, stepping forward and shooting a quizzical look at IF. "Why?"

"Some sort of lock, maybe?" the brunette answer uncertainly, wearing a bashful smile. "Look, I don't know, I'm just saying what was in Histoire's instructions. I thought you guys had checked them, actually."

"... You told us we didn't need to," Nepgear deadpans.

"Iffy said she was just going to lead," Compa completes, the very same tone clear in her voice.

" _Yeeeeees_ ," the brunette drawls, a light scarlet appearing on her cheeks. "Alright, so _maybe_ I forgot to tell you guys about it. Hehe, whoops?"

"..." "..."

The two unamused stares sent her way aren't exactly uncalled-for. Neither is the sigh which escapes the Candidate's lips.

"Goodness, we really _do_ need to talk about this information thing," the lilac-haired girl mutters.

"Wait, but doesn't that mean ASIC shouldn't be able to get the Mascot?" the nurse points out confusedly, tilting her head. "It's not like they have a real CPU on their side."

"Sort of?" IF replies rather lamely, clear doubt all over her features. "Hey, I'm not really sure, okay? Maybe they do something like... taking a bit of the CPUs' energy to open the entrance. Or maybe the Deity of Sin's energy can already mimic a CPU's." With that she shrugs, her blush already fading little by little. "I'm just saying whatever here, it's not like I know how this stuff works."

Even so, mere thought of these people taking her sister's energy is enough for Nepgear to shift in her place.

 _'Just hang on, Neptune...'_

"Still, it's true that there could ASIC members here already..." Nepgear concludes, a serious expression falling over her face. "Even if not, enclosed dungeons have many entrances, right?"

"Yup." Compa nods. "Even if we're here first, it's pretty easy for a bad guy to just get in through somewhere we can't see."

"And that's horrible." It's then that IF lets out a sigh, folding her arms. "Yeah, we better hurry it up. Do you wanna go HDD and fly ahead, Gear?"

"I probably shouldn't..." the Candidate comments with an apologetic smile. "Going alone would be too dangerous, and if the pillar of light doesn't attract bad attention, me flying around would. Honestly, I'd rather just continue somewhat silently..."

It might sound like paranoia, but she's not taking any chances here. If it just so happens that this enclosed space is swarming with ASIC forces seeking the Mascot, the lilac-haired girl would rather not direct all eyes towards her.

"... You're really focusing on that 'assassin' thing, huh," the brunette mumbles with a minuscule smile, somewhere between amused and exasperated. "Alright, we'll advance together, then. Turns out you got a point, and now you got me all worried thinking about enemy ninjas and snipers." At that, a scowl reaches her lips. " _Those are so annoying...!_ "

"Um, I guess..." Nepgear replies a tad uneasily.

Maybe she should ask the brunette about that last bit later...?

"That said, let's cut the chit-chat and move on!" IF orders as she turns towards the first circular platform, eyeing the path before her. "Time's a-wasting and all that."

"Y-Yes!" "Got it, Iffy!"

"... You guys don't need to respond like that every time I say something, y'know?" the supposed party leader points out bashfully, an embarrassed smile on her lips. "Still, nice spirit... or something."

With that said, not even waiting for a reply, the brunette starts walking, moving ahead of her two teammates. It doesn't take a moment for the nurse to happily follow suit, and an instant later the lilac-haired girl does the same, taking her first step forward—

"Iffy, Ge-Ge, up there!" the peach-haired girl suddenly exclaims as her gaze flies upwards, stopping the other two in their tracks as her syringe materializes in her grasp.

 _'An ambush already...?!'_

The Candidate's blood runs cold as both she and the brunette snap their heads towards the root archway above, hastily summoning their laser blade and qatars as they do so. Looking up doesn't really do much good, however, as several purple blurs jump off before the Candidate can even register their appearances, hitting metal just five meters in front of party.

At once, in an instinctive motion, the three girls assume their fighting stances. It's only then that Nepgear finally has the chance to analyze what lies before them.

About eleven identical monsters grouped together, each one a giant purple tulip with a similarly colored large stem, their plant-like bodies adorned by several red circles and pairs of featureless, footless legs. Pointed at the trio are many black, angry beady eyes, every single set placed on a supposed petal alongside a frowning black line of a mouth.

These are called "tulips," and they look beyond mad with their glares. It's far beyond clear that the party can't just proceed without a fight.

Something's off, though...

"Shouldn't tulips be orange?" the Candidate asks her teammates, not even glancing at them. "These look completely different."

"Those went viral," IF responds simply, her eyes still fixed on the monsters. "Figures that'd happen the instant we opened the entrance...!"

"According to Histoire, they're corrupted by the Deity of Sin's power!" Compa follows up, syringe trained on the group of enemies. "Be careful, those are pretty dangerous!"

"Right..." Unconsciously, Nepgear's grip on her weapon tightens as a scowl comes. As that happens, tulips remain just there, eyeing them as if waiting for a faulty movement.

This is bad... To think that the Graveyard's corruption can spread like this...!

"This is gonna waste so much time..." the brunette complains before shooting a look backward. "Viral tulips aren't pushovers, but they're no ancient dragons either. You guys think you can hold them off while I go ahead? Bad idea or not, we _really_ can't risk losing the Mascot at this point."

At those words, Nepgear almost can't stop herself from questioning IF's sanity.

That's not a bad idea, it's a _horrible_ one. Not just because of the obvious implications of splitting up–something which the other two are certainly aware of–but also because the brunette demonstrated, quite clearly at that, just how _suicidally reckless_ she can be when she tried fighting a CFW singlehandedly.

In other words, _not_ the kind of person you should just leave alone.

 _'Even if I'm not really one to talk...'_

The Candidate isn't as bad as Miss "Don't Wanna Run From The Harbinger of Death" over there, but she still has quite a bit of recklessness all the same, no point in arguing about it.

But, back to the subject, it's not a good idea to send IF to what may or may not be a suicide mission. Still, the Candidate can't just ignore how risky it is to waste time now; ASIC _really_ can't get to the Mascot first.

But, then, what should they do...?

"..."

... Wait, no, what is she rambling about? The answer is pretty obvious.

"I can't let you do that, IF," the lilac-haired girl responds unhesitatingly, forcing a determined look upon her face. "I'll go instead."

"Wait, what?!" As expected, calling IF's expression "disbelieving" would be a massive understatement; even Compa can't help but stare as if Nepgear just went mad. "Alright, from where the hell did _that_ come from?"

"I'm just not beating around the bush," Nepgear responds matter-of-factly, doing her best to maintain the brave act. "Someone _has_ to advance. All I'm saying is that it'll be me, the CPU Canditate."

As the two stares sent her way become even more shocked, Nepgear almost shifts uncomfortably, her determined features only maintained by what has to be a natural talent at acting.

Alright, _maybe_ those lines came out a lot more hero-y than intended, she silently muses. Still, given the still stunned looks on her teammates' faces, there's no doubt that the message got across nicely.

"Um... Are you sure, Ge-Ge?" the nurse eventually asks, her tone making it clear she's very much not so. "That sounds like too much..."

'To you' is the part left unsaid by the nice girl, as anyone would notice. In a way, that feels a bit demeaning.

Still, Compa is absolutely correct; this _is_ too much for Nepgear.

The lilac-haired girl is a Goddess, that's true; she has a general buff which, although highly underwhelming when compared to any other CPU's, puts her traits above any generic warrior. All that means, however, is that she's able to catch up to more skilled fighters without as much experience, _not_ that she's an unyielding bringer of death.

As such, Nepgear is _not_ sure about this. Instead, she's outright _terrified_ , her mind repeatedly screaming at her that doing this is an unarguably less than optimal course of action.

In other words, chances are she's committing suicide by ASIC here.

And that's why the lilac-haired girl nods at the nurse, forming one the fakest reassuring smiles of her life. "Don't worry, Compa. I got this."

If someone is going to die today, it'll be the undying Candidate, _not_ IF!

... Even if she'd rather have nobody dying here.

It's then, however, that, amidst the impromptu theater play, IF chuckles, her earlier surprise nowhere to be seen. "Okay, you gave yourself away, now I know you're trying too hard. You just think you can run away faster than me if push comes to shove."

This time, the lilac-haired girl does shift unconfortably as Compa shoots her a questioning look. Well, that's not exactly wrong, per see, but...

"Still, you sort of got a point again. How annoying," the brunette continues, her voice serious despite her words. "But can I trust you not to flee unless it gets absolutely impossible?"

"Not at all," Nepgear responds in the very same tone, shaking her head. This isn't a game, situations can go from usual to difficult to death before any sense of impossibility has a chance to set in; if the going gets tough and retreat is a viable option which won't result in the loss of the Mascot, she won't hesitate to take it. "But I can't trust _you_ to flee if it does get impossible."

If the situation were any other, the Candidate would be shocked at how uncharacteristically direct her own words were. Right now, though?

Seeing a smirk on IF's face never felt so nice.

"Getting feisty, aren't we?" the Guild agent comments as she turns her head forward, where the viral monsters continue to patiently wait for any blatant opening. "Alright, we'll make a way and you'll rush through. Right, Comps?"

"H-Huh?" the peach-haired girl jumps in place at the mention of her nickname, her expression signaling something between bewilderment and disbelief at the brunette's words. Still, she doesn't hesitate to nod hastily not a moment later. "Uh, yes! That's right!"

At that, it's no wonder that Nepgear's lips twist slightly upwards.

"Thanks," the Candidate mutters just loud enough for the other two to hear. "I'll do my best."

"You better," comes the Guild agent's instant reply. "Oh, and Gear?"

"Hm?" The lilac-haired girl shoots a curious look towards the back of the brunette's head. "What is it?"

"... You're a roach," IF says simply, giving Nepgear a last glance filled with blatant mischievousness.

What's more blatant, however, is the wide grin on her lips.

"So make sure you survive like one."

"..."

At first, the Candidate can't find any words to respond to that, something akin to shock written all over her face.

However, it only takes a second for it to fade away, giving way to the most genuine smile of the past entire hours.

Following that, it only takes an instant for a single word to come out of her lips.

"Yes!"

As her grin widens even further, the brunette slashes at air.

An explosion sounds.

And Nepgear shoots forward.

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A right turn, then a left to compensate. Her boots touch the next circular platform, and continue forward towards the middle pathway.

An orange tulip is in the way, glaring at her. It pounces, but she ducks under its small body before readjusting her raised hood, not stopping for a moment.

And a loud blast comes from somewhere distant behind.

As Nepgear continues to run forward, sword in hand and always towards the same direction, it's only the fact that she's exerting herself quite a bit which prevents a sigh. In the end, IF didn't even bother with trying to be silent, and Compa just went along with it. Whether the brunette just forgot about their conversation, or simply figured that being stealthy would be a waste of time in her role, is something the Candidate isn't really sure about.

Still, it doesn't really make a difference, the running girl supposes as she circumvents a red carnivorous-looking plant inside a large, strangely mobile pink tulip. As long as she herself remains relatively quiet, and no viral infection happens, she won't be attracting attention from far away, and any normal monster which decides to pursue will simply give up after a while.

Case in point, as she shoots a quick glance back, no carnivorous plant nor tulip is anywhere to be seen.

As such, all the Candidate needs to do is keep running–taking care not to murder her stamina, of course–whilst waving her head around trying to spot anything strange, a task which would have been _much easier_ had those massive roots not been all over this maze.

Seriously, it's like those things are here _just_ to block the view!

... Which is actually quite possible now that she thinks about it, what with this being the Mascot's hiding place.

Just as she reaches the next platform, Nepgear turns slightly to the left in order to reach the next pathway, pointedly ignoring what she's pretty sure was a floating circular rock with two arms by the edge of the circle.

Without losing a beat, the Candidate shoots many glances at both sides.

Just like every single time before, all she spots are platforms and roots.

This certainly has the potential to become very annoying, the girl silently muses as her eyes continue to wander around. Even though she's mapping the lake maze in her mind, even though it doesn't seem to be particularly huge, "complicated" would be a nice way to describe this enclosed dungeon.

If it weren't for her sense of direction, she'd have gotten lost about _fifteen times_ by now.

 _And that's horrible._

" ***pant***... This... shouldn't be so difficult..."

"Clang" after "clang" sound as Nepgear continues to run forward, attempting to minimize the noise from her boots hitting metal. Maybe she should buy some sort of enchanted–or just cushioned–boots later; these loud footsteps are quite the unnecessary risk.

If only this dungeon were different, then the lilac-haired girl would be able to slowly and stealthily advance instead, dealing with both the noise issue and her underwhelming stamina. In an open-air labyrinth like this, though, doing so would only lead to wasting lots of time, not to mention how the general lack of coverage renders any attempt at hiding useless.

Basically, locating enemies in places like this boils down to glancing at the right spot in the right moment, and there's not much Nepgear can do about that besides moving fast and refraining from screaming her location to all present.

To top it off, she knows absolutely _nothing_ about the enemy forces she's going up against, not even if they actually _exist_.

Whether there are ASIC members here, and whether they'll manage to spot her with a random glance; this whole mission pretty much depends on these two factors she can't possibly control.

In other words, it's all about the pure uncertainty that people label as "luck."

As fear and nervousness alike rage through her mind, the lilac-haired girl reaches a simple conclusion concerning that subject.

 _She **hates** relying on luck._

"... ***pant***..."

... And also running through labyrinths, if the expected annoyance finally blossoming in her mind is of any indication.

Yet another platform approaches, this one devoid of any monsters. As Nepgear enters its circular area, her head repeatedly turns from one side to the other for what feels like the thousandth time. Goodness, she's almost by the middle of the lake if the distant margin filled with gigantic trees is to be believed; just where is the Mascot hiding—

Wait.

The Candidate comes to a halt by the center of the circle, her eyes locked onto a certain sight to her left.

Many meters away, beyond water and several amalgamations of roots, is another platform, none of its four pathways connected directly to the one beneath the lilac-haired girl's feet.

That's not what catched her attention, however.

Instead, the responsible for said accomplishment was the purple disc floating there, washing its surroundings in a amethyst glow.

It doesn't take an instant for Nepgear to understand.

 _ **That's the Mascot.**_

 _'Finally...!'_

Just like that, unprecedented levels of eagerness overtake the Candidate's entire being, every single fiber of her body _screaming_ at her to just _get to the freaking disc already_. Immediately, with a haste any witness would believe to be panic, the girls lets her eyes fly all over the place, looking for any a path to her objective as her mind works in near overdrive.

 _'I could transform, but the pillar of light makes it a last resort. Maybe I should just swim... No, for all I know the "water" could be some kind of deadly acid. I see a way that's a bit complex, but would lead me there—Wait, it's too distant, I can't take too much time. From what I remember, I could backtrack seven platforms and take a left, but it'd be around five whole minutes just to get there. If I go forward some more, there's a chance it'll work, but there's a bunch of roots blocking the view of that one platform and I'd have to get close to be sure if it connects right. Goodness, there are only bad options...'_

At that, a frown crosses the girl's lips hidden behind her black scarf.

Alright, this is a _big_ problem.

If only there was a way for her to take a shortcut, to just go straight to the Mascot without revealing her location with HDD... Then again, no matter how you look at it, it's not like Nepgear can just fly above the supposed water without... transforming...

"... Ah!"

Suddenly, violet eyes once again focus on the purple floating disc.

Before it, between the two platforms, are five formations of roots raising from the lake; the three farthest reach up to the five-legged archway above the Mascot, while the two closest do the same to the four-legged archway above Nepgear. None of them are lined up in any way, instead placed in such a form that, from the Candidate's point of view, it's almost as if they alternate between left and right as they grow closer to the girl's objective.

Most people would see that as a neat detail of the scenery, just another interesting sight of this otherworldly place.

Nepgear, however, is a tad more... _creative_ than most people.

" _For better or worse, that is..._ " the Candidate mumbles to herself from beneath her scarf, mentally preparing herself to perform something stupid. " _If this works, good. If it doesn't, no surprises there. And, no matter what, I really hope nobody finds out about it..._ "

What she's about to do isn't inherently suicidal; heck, it might even sound _fun_ to some!

When you take into account the lilac-haired girl's utter inexperience, her complete lack of knowledge about safety measures, and the fact that she, quite literally the most important person of Planeptune, decided to take a risk like this for the sake of not running around for a couple more minutes, though?

 _Histoire would have her head._

Still, between wasting time in what might or might not be a timed mission and creating a beacon of light for all possible enemies to spot her, this is undoubtedly the best choice.

Which is why, as Nepgear takes a deep breath and retreats a few steps, most of her willpower is directed towards silencing her screaming sense of self-preservation.

The only thing that's good for is making you flinch, after all.

 _And she can't afford to screw this up._

"Alright..." the Candidate begins, her voice filled with nothing but nervousness. "One..." Hesitantly, she moves her left foot forward, silently praying for whoever is watching over. "Two..." Following that, the girl descends to the ground, placing both hands and her right knee on the ground. "And..."

...

...

...

" ** _Three!_** "

At her own signal, Nepgear shoots forward as fast as possible. A second later, the Candidate is already by the edge of the platform.

She jumps.

"...!"

The girl doesn't soar to the skies, nor does she become a bullet to travel forward; rather, her leap is pretty ordinary by all standards.

Then again, it's not as if she needed more to reach the first group of interlaced roots.

 _'Now!'_

In a single precise movement, Nepgear's left hand reaches for a thin, somewhat loose root by the right side of the amalgamation, using it as a handle. Not missing a beat, as the momentum continues to push her forward, the Candidate hastily kicks off the roots, sending her towards the second group of roots.

 _'Again...!'_

Her right hand takes hold of yet another loose thin root, giving the lilac-haired girl balance as she propels herself.

 _'Third time!'_

Repeating the same motion as before, her left hand grabs the next makeshift handle—

 ***CRACK***

"?!"

—only for it to _break off_ right then and there.

 _'Nonononono!'_

Reflexively, letting go of the broken root, Nepgear kicks off the amalgamation all the same. In her haste, however, it's no surprise that the action's strength suffered; rather than jumping, the girl essentially _plunges_ towards the fourth group of roots.

"?!"

It takes half a second for her to realize.

At the height she'll touch the amalgamation, just centimeters above water, the roots are all close together, twisted around each other.

There's nothing to grab there for support. Any kick the Candidate attempts will be lacking.

 _She won't reach the fifth one._

 _'In that case...!'_

Rather than worrying about it, without time to think, Nepgear points both boots forward, intending to attempt the nigh-impossible jump straight to the platform five meters away.

If everything goes wrong, she can just transform midair, after all.

"!"

Just as her feet touch the roots, however, _she_ _sees it._

Right there, above the lake's surface just two meters forward, is a single segment of a thick root, its continuations for both sides descending into water.

In the fraction of a moment the lilac-haired girl has, she doesn't even need to think about it.

 _'Chance!'_

Without hesitation, she uses up all her strength to propel herself towards the lone root, reaching it a mere second later. Not missing a beat, Nepgear falls on it with her right boot, immediately following up by throwing herself towards the platform with as much force as possible.

As her body approaches metal, passing quite easily over the low railing, the Candidate twists her body to hit the floor with her shoulder, performing a single roll before coming to a halt in a crouch.

" ***pant***... ***pant***..."

Thus, she stays there, taking loud yet far from exhausted breaths as a stunned expression stares into nothingness. In this state, filled with confusion, bewilderment and disbelief alike, it's not long until a single question sounds in Nepgear's mind.

 _'How the heavens did I do that...?'_

As that thought comes, the Planeptunian Candidate slowly raises to her feet, facing the Mascot floating a mere two meters away.

Seriously, that was just... crazy, ludicrous, _insane_! The lilac-haired girl was _a hundred and fifty percent_ sure she was going to fail when that root broke! Just what sort of _miracle_ let her recover like that—

 ***clang***

Nepgear freezes.

That sound... A footstep? From her right?

Slowly, the girl turns towards the noise.

"...?!"

 _And her blood runs cold at what she sees._

 _Or, rather, **who**._

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 _ **Hello, everyone! I hope y'all enjoyed the newest chapter of Hyperdemise Nepgear Re:Try!**_

 _ **... Is what I'd say if I didn't notice the questioning looks! Hahahaha...**_

 _ **So, as you people obviously noticed, this was essentially on hiatus for a long time despite essentially being on chapter 6.**_

 _ **What a terrible author this one must be! This story is heading to abandonment fast! Why, I'm sure everyone should just stop reading, since it's pretty much a given this will never be completed, just like millions of tales out there!**_

 _ **... Is what I'm sure lots of people thought.**_

 _ **Well, all I can do is say that I intend to finish this story. As a way to convince you all that I mean it, I have no other option besides asking everyone to trust my honesty, my commitment...**_

 _ **... And the extensive chapter-by-chapter script I wrote throughout these months!**_

 _ **That's right! The whole story is planned out! I literally have no excuses not to finish it anymore!**_

 _ **Oh, of course, y'all might be worried that I'll pull some "I don't feel like writing anymore, this is painful, I'm sorry" at some point. In that case, I can say with the utmost certainty that's not the kinda person I am!**_

 _ **A writer doesn't write just for themselves, after all. We're supposed to fire ourselves up by thinking about how everyone will react to what we write, not just by writing like we're getting turned on by our own reflections! For me, starting stories whimsically, without even having a structure in mind and without wondering about how it'll be received, and abandoning them halfway through are the worst possible sins a writer can commit!**_

 _ **Of course, it's important to note that the first one is what almost always leads to the latter.**_

 _ **And also that I already committed both before. Even I feel disappointed...**_

 _ **... But never again! I'm not starting anything without planning it out first, and I'm gonna pull through until the very end, y'all!**_

 _ **With that said, shamelessly forgoing talking about how all this wait led to another boring setup chapter, and not even commenting on how I changed my pen name to something a young IF would have thought of, I shall go!**_

 _ **Don't forget to share your thoughts, everybody! And u**_ _ **ntil the next dream!**_

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"Gotcha!"

With a triumphant shout, the qatar descends towards the downed viral tulip, burying itself into its large flower. Right on cue, any traces of the infection simply disappear, leaving only an orange tulip fallen on the floor.

In a single movement, IF retracts the weapon and raises to her full height, lightly wincing at the gaping hole now present right in the center of the flower's face.

All she can see inside is an orange paper-like texture, but it's a tad unnerving nonetheless.

 _'Still way better than a dead Alraune, I guess...'_

As the dead monster starts to fade, slowly dissipating into particles of light, the brunette allows her eyes to wander around the platform. Several more disappearing bodies are strewn around metal, some almost completely gone.

Seems like they're done here.

 _'Finally.'_

"Seriously, that was more annoying than anything else..." Letting out a big sigh, IF doesn't waste time in turning around to face her friend. "C'mon, we gotta hurry up— _Compa?!_ "

"I'm... alright..." the nurse wheezes out from her place on the floor, desperately struggling to breathe in. "Just... a bit... tired..."

"'A bit' my ass, you're _dying_ there!" the Guild agent exclaims, running to the peach-haired girl and crouching next to her. "What's wrong?! I thought you had lots of stamina!"

"I... do..." Compa lets out, forcing herself to take a deep breath right after. "Iffy... just has... way more... Gosh..."

"D-Do you need a minute? Two? Ten?!" IF blurts out, emerald eyes flying all around the nurse's form. "I mean, you're not even scratched, but, hell, you're dying!"

"Is this... favoritism...?"

The brunette blinks. "Eh?"

"Nothing, nothing..." the peach-haired girl replies with a weary smile, her ragged breathing already beginning to normalize. "Two minutes... is good..."

"Great, we can spare that much easily enough," comes the Guild agent's hasty response, her features still alarmed. "Man, I seriously didn't expect you to just break down like this..."

"Yeah..." At that, an apologetic expression falls over Compa's face. "Sorry... Even though... we should go... find Ge-Ge..."

"Don't worry about her. Just focus in breathing, alright?" the brunette tells her in a reassuring voice, a small smile on her lips. "Gear's probably fine. I mean, hey, she _is_ a CPU; what's the worst thing that could happen to her?"

Just then, a heavy silence falls upon the two girls.

For a long while, IF continues to stare at Compa, just as Compa's eyes focus on IF's, their entire beings seemingly frozen solid.

One moment passes, which soon enough becomes two.

And both girls scramble to their feet, running–and tripping–deeper into the dungeon.

"C'mon, Iffy, keep up!"

"I'm on it, I'm on it...!"


	10. Messenger of Sin

***clang* *clang* *clang* *clang***

 _'Here goes nothing...!"_

Forcing even more strength and a bit of mana into her legs, IF jumps over a tulip monster easily enough, her boots hitting the floor with a metallic "thud" before instantly moving to propel her forward. Behind, yet another yelp sounds, coupled with the noises of a few energy shots, but she doesn't even think about turning around and assisting her friend.

Even though it sounds like she's in trouble, that girl hasn't fallen behind a single meter for a while now.

Which is _great_ considering the current situation.

"...!"

Without hesitation, IF brings up her silver handgun and shoots at the red carnivorous plant coming from a green pipe in her way, hitting it head-on and causing it to flinch long enough for both girls to circumvent it without issues.

It's funny how, just minutes ago, the plan seemed pretty simple: get rid of the viral monsters, make as much noise as they can to take some possible heat away from a certain roach and, if worst came to pass, run off with lots of enemies hot on their trail.

Granted, the everything but the first part was something that the brunette added on a whim, figuring it'd be nothing but helpful for the mission, but Compa caught on soon enough. In the end, everything was fine.

Or at least it was supposed to be.

Then, just a bit after finishing the first objective, reality set in.

For all the noisy chaos they caused, not a single monster aside from the viral tulips joined the fray. Of course, that's not really all that weird; IF is pretty sure they just sat back and watched, figuring it wouldn't be a good idea to get involved in somebody else's fight.

It just so happens they didn't attract any ASIC members either.

"Compa!" "On it!"

 ***Ta* *Ta* *Ta* *Ta*** "Lip?!" "Tulip!"

In a single moment, a barrage of yellow bullets comes from behind, hitting a bunch of tulips ahead and sending them tumbling into the water beneath before they can even attack.

One could argue that an enemy might have decided to do the same as the monsters and just watch, sure, but that's a bit... far-fetched, to say the least. They'd literally have no reason _not_ to attack a bunch of Basilicom agents—and, really, what else would they be, being in this dungeon in the first place?—who are busy fighting viral monsters near the entrance; if anything, that's the _perfect_ setup for an ambush!

In other words, they _really_ didn't catch the attention of any ASIC goon. And that might mean two things, basically.

Either there are no or few enemy forces in this place, which might be far too optimistic or just plain bad news depending on whether you believe in a quality x quantity ratio...

"Iffy, there!" "Got it!" ***BANG***

 _... or ASIC already found Nepgear._

 _That's really bad._

Which is why the brunette forces her legs to continue running even as a burning sensation comes, following the trail of agitated monsters with the nurse right behind her. In the best case they're rushing for nothing; in the worst case they're saving that idiot's life several times over.

And, for once, IF actually finds herself hoping that all this effort is for nothing.

 _'Dammit, Gear, you better not have screwed it up this time...!'_

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 ***Chapter 7***

 **Messenger of Sin**

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Nepgear screwed it up.

Like, really bad.

Which is fitting, because the situation she got herself in is also bad.

No, not bad, _horrible._

That might even be too little; this is surely _terrible._

Then again, those might be synonymous, so the lilac-haired girl would use _disastrous_.

 _Because this_ _is pretty much the worst thing that could have happened to her._

Well, not _literally_ , but it sure ranks very high up in her official "Stuff That Leaves Me Irrevocably Screwed" list.

After all, how else can she classify the _hooded, gray-skinned, green-haired elf wearing baggy pants and a somewhat skimpy top under her jacket standing about eight meters away, shooting the Candidate a stare as stunned as her own_?

"..."

"..."

Only utter and complete shock prevents Nepgear from shifting uncomfortably, or, heck, maybe _screaming_. As the greenette's wide scarlet eyes stare straight into amethyst, the girl goes as far as to feel the slightest impulse to just get her sword, dash forward _and go crazy_ right here and now.

Although that last bit _may_ have to do with some memories of a certain other elf. And that _may_ make the Planeptunian Candidate a textbook racist.

... Which is something that she'd rather think about later, preferably _when there is no incipient fight right in front of her._

"..."

"..."

Fortunately, this new girl seems about as lost as Nepgear.

Unfortunately, _that doesn't change how she's a dangerous ASIC member_ , the lilac-haired girl quickly notes.

After all, if the energy of a CPU or something of the sort is necessary to enter this place, and the only ones with access to that, as far as she's aware, are the Basilicom crew and ASIC, _and_ her party is the only one from the former group tasked with securing the Mascot, then the Candidate can say for sure that, unless that disc right there decided to order some pizza, this elf here isn't exactly a friend.

And that brings us back to the earlier point.

"..."

"..."

 _This is a freaking disaster right here._

 _'Should I... attack? Is that even a good idea? There must be a reason for her to be alone here... A scout? A member of a team which split up to search for the Mascot?... **A o**_ _ **ne-girl army**?!'_

At that last though, the Candidate pales, sweat dripping down her cheek.

That right there is the one biggest issue with fighting in general: you just can't know whether is an amateur or an ancient God of destruction until the first attack comes.

It's not exactly pleasant when it turns out to be the latter.

Which is exactly why the Candidate feels like _freaking out right now._

"..."

"..."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the elf moves to speak.

Except Nepgear does it first.

"A-Are you a Basilicom goon?!" she screeches in a panicked voice that comes embarrassingly easily, forcing a glare at her enemy and assuming a pose as if to draw a weapon from inside her cloak. "D-Depending on your answer, I might have to beat you up real bad!"

"..."

As the ASIC member stares at her like she's an escaped mental patient, the silence which follows is deafening.

Just like that, the Candidate's brave expression falters.

In retrospect, maybe that wasn't the brightest idea she ever had...

"... Who the hell are you?" the greenette finally asks, obviously unamused.

"T-That's none of your business, you scammy government pet!" the lilac-haired girl shoots back, doing her best impression of a nervous person on the verge of losing it.

Except she _wishes_ that was just an act, and that her mind wasn't actually _screaming_ at her to shut up and run the heck away.

"..."

"..."

She also wishes this girl stopped staring at her like that already. Her current levels of several less than helpful emotions are already pretty high as is!

Still, Nepgear notes, she has to be doing something right if a fight hasn't begun just yet... Maybe if she keeps this up until help arrives—

"'Government pet?' Really? That's all you got?" the enemy girl replies, narrowing her scarlet eyes as her posture becomes straighter. "I mean, I figured you people were morons, but this would be a riot if it wasn't so freakin' sad."

And that's when the Candidate's blood runs cold.

 _'Darn, darn, darn, darn, darn, goodness...!'_

She's onto her.

 _This elf is totally onto her._

But, really, what else did Nepgear expect?! This is what happens when she starts blabbering like an idiot! She's done for!

 _'No, if I can just summon my sword while she's still glaring—'_

"You ASIC dumbasses really are pitiful, aren't you?" the violet-skinned girl suddenly speaks, smirking as she does so.

 _'... Eh.'_

And, just like that, Nepgear's mind almost crashes.

"I'd suggest you get away from the Mascot. I don't really care for your stupid 'terrorist wannabe' act," the enemy girl continues as she starts walking forward, her lips twisting into a small grin as she stops just two meters away from the lilac-haired girl. "I'm not lettin' Lady Kei down just because some overclothed broad who wants to talk tough thinks she can stop me."

 _'Wait... What... She...'_

The Candidate blinks several times, unable to understand what she just heard. Is this girl actually...

 _'No, I gotta snap out of it! She's just trying to throw me off balance!'_

That's right, it's literally _impossible_ for there to be anyone else with the Basilicom here! After all, Histoire...

Wait, did she say _Lady Kei_?

 _Is that another nation's Oracle?!_

 _'Stop that line of thought! You're **not** falling for that, you failure of a CPU Candidate!'_

If Nepgear lets herself be tricked by her own trick so easily, then she doesn't even deserve to save the CPUs...!

Narrowing her eyes, she forces herself to shoot a glare at the elf. "'Lady Kei,' you say? What are you even doing in Planeptune? I didn't know that woman was this nosy!"

It's only after speaking that she realizes.

This girl never said that this "Kei" is another Oracle.

 _That might as well be the name of some Planeptunian general._

Instantly, fear and apprehension grip Nepgear's entire being as she waits for a response, her full attention on the smug girl who may be just a moment away from calling her out on a stupid yet critical blunder, and two from attacking her viciously.

"... That's none of your business," the greenette replies just a moment later instead, unknowingly unleashing a wave of relief towards the lilac-haired girl. "What _is_ your business, though, is how you're about to turn tail and flee before I decide to just smash your head in."

It takes a lot of effort for the Candidate not to let out a big relieved sigh right then and there, giving herself away. It looks like she's still safe...

... Might as well keep it going.

"What makes you think I'll give up that easily?" Nepgear shoots back, her earlier nervousness mostly gone—at least outwardly—for the time being. "I'm not eager to fail Lady Magic either!"

It's then that the other girl's grin disappears.

"You sure don't know when to give up, do you?" she complains, scowling at the Candidate as she shoves both hands in her pants' pockets. "So annoying..."

"Not as much as you, though," the lilac-haired girl retorts, smiling under her scarf despite herself. "Honestly, wagging your tail for your masters so much must be pretty tiring."

As expected, that earns her several daggers of a glare. Even so, the elf doesn't attack immediately, despite obviously wanting to.

Exactly as Nepgear predicted.

At this point, this is pretty much a game; neither of them can be completely sure the other isn't actually an ally, and whoever messes up first will have the honor of receiving the first hit.

Except that's a lie, and this game was rigged from the very start.

After all, the Planeptunian Candidate _knows_ this is an enemy, and she's just waiting for the cavalry to arrive.

... Still, she can't help but wonder if this elf is the same. That'd be seriously bad.

"Yeah, I bet you'd know what being a dog is like," the greenette says through gritted teeth. "You're just some terrorist, after all."

"Funny that you're talking about terror," Nepgear begins in a haughty voice, searching in her memory for any lines from comics that she can use. "Your fashion sense is exactly what I'd call an act of terrorism."

Somehow, that the elf's eye twitches noticeably feels like a victory. "Interesting words coming from somebody dressed in freaking bed sheets. What, did you wash your clothes and forget to leave a spare?"

"As if you'd know anything about washing things. A lowly underling like you probably runs around in the same outfit for weeks."

"... 'Underling'?" the violet-skinned girl slowly repeats, her voice dangerously low.

In response, the Candidate does her best to inject as much mockery as possible in her tone. "What, isn't that what you are, _Miss Underling_?"

"..."

A reply doesn't come immediately, said underling just shooting Nepgear a stunned, disbelieving stare.

At first, the lilac-haired girl doesn't think much of it.

 _'... Ah.'_

It's a moment later that she realizes she might have just pushed too far, and promptly starts screaming curses at herself in her mind as she eyes the other girl.

And then...

The elf takes a deep breath.

"... Alright, let's stop this crap, okay?" she begins, taking her hands out of the pockets and folding them with a frown. "I wouldn't touch the government with a thousand-feet pole; these are a bunch of selfish dumbasses who only care about themselves. I'm from ASIC, alright?"

"R-Really?!" the lilac-haired girl lets out in fake surprise, her eyes widening considerably as her mind works overtime to figure out where this is heading. "You... You're not trying to trick me, are you? I didn't hear anything about someone else besides me going after this Mascot!"

"Oh, for the love of—I'm _not_ tricking you, moron! It's not my fault that the mission management is horrible nowadays!" the ASIC underling shouts back impatiently, glaring at the Candidate. "You know what? Instead of this stupid comedy routine, why don't you just do it already?"

"... 'Do it'?" Nepgear echoes, raising an eyebrow. "Do what?"

It's then that the greenette smirks.

"Smash the Mascot to pieces."

"...?!"

Smash them...? As in, _destroy_ them?

ASIC isn't trying to capture the Mascots, _just make sure they're not in the way_?!

 _'Goodness, this is bad...!'_

It's not that surprising, really... but it still makes everything far more complicated. There are so many more ways of obtaining an item when both parties want it whole that this is a tactical disaster in its own right!

And to think Nepgear was so sure that ASIC wanted to harness their power, what with their enormous potential...

As such, it's not exactly surprising that a lightly shocked look takes over the Candidate's exposed features at her enemy's words.

Just then, the elf's smirk turns into a grin.

 **"...?!"**

That's when the Candidate realizes.

Now she did. Now she **really** did it.

 _'Nepgear the ASIC member' just looked surprised._

 ** _At her own mission, even._**

Instantly, the Candidate's entire body tenses up, her own emotions threatening to go into overdrive any moment.

She messed up.

 _She messed up._

 ** _She messed up._**

 _'Calm down, you idiot, you'll only end up getting yourself killed at this rate...!'_

That's easier thought than done, however, _especially_ when the elf just stares at her with that accursed grin rather than doing—or just saying—anything.

A second passes, the fake sun on the horizon shining upon them from over the fog.

Two seconds pass, only the sounds of water and the occasional distant cries from monsters breaking the silence.

Three seconds pass, the unrealistically clean air of this dungeon not doing anything to ease the lilac-haired girl's nerves.

The ASIC underling two meters away chuckles.

A metallic "thud" comes from beneath.

 _Then she's centimeters away._

"?!"

It's only her heightened reflexes as a CPU that allow the girl to move to her right just in time, a fist just barely grazing her cheek.

As fate would have it, however, her right foot just so happens to get caught in her own cloak, sending her tumbling down.

She can only thank the True Goddess, though, when a metallic object sails past the spot her head once was.

Nepgear hits the floor with her shoulder before rolling into a crouch, eyeing her opponent. The elf, standing between the Candidate and the Mascot, is now holding a metal pipe in her right hand, its body noticeably dented near the outer edge and an orange color adorning the end which her palm touches, substituting gray as if to pinpoint the object's "handle."

One more thing to note is how the greenette doesn't look exactly happy that the lilac-haired girl evaded the attack.

"Pretty fast, ain't ya?" she grumbles with an impatient glare, pointing the pipe at her enemy just three meters away. "Well, not like that's nowhere near enough to keep up with me."

As she raises to her feet, Nepgear almost feels like agreeing. How did this girl move so impossibly fast back there...?!

"!"

Her thoughts are interrupted as the underling does it once more, turning three hundred centimeters into fifty in a matter of instants. Her boot hits metal loudly as she forces herself to stop, but the same can't be said for the pipe, which continues to swing single-handedly with far more momentum than it should have.

Except, this time, the lilac-haired girl is ready for it.

Ducking under the weapon at the last instant, Nepgear brings the sword she had already summoned from under her cloak in a stabbing motion, lighting it up during the movement itself—

 _'Wha—?!'_

Only to be caught off-guard as the elf somehow reaches for her swinging pipe with her free hand at an impossible speed, forces it to descend and turns the attack into an _upwards strike._

Surprised by the complete disregard of physics, the Candidate is forced to twist her sword unnaturally in order to hit the pipe's right side, knocking it off its original trajectory as the weapon misses her jaw by several centimeters.

Even so, the ASIC girl seems to have thought ahead, as her attack wasn't as incredibly fast nor strong as to disrupt her rythm. As such, it's quite easy for her to make the pipe descend once more in a diagonal motion, even as her left hand lets go of it.

Taking a step back, Nepgear manages to dodge the attack, leaning forward and slashing horizontally at her enemy only for her to do the same. The weapons clash before separating, the recoil affecting both but not dissuading either girl from attempting again.

A diagonal blow goes upward and the Candidate's leans back easily enough, returning the favor with a thrust, only for the greenette to sidestep at the last second. Holding onto the pipe with both hands, the ASIC girl suddenly dashes forward despite being not even a meter away from her enemy, forcing Nepgear to retreat step by step as each attack comes.

One slash from the right, the lilac-haired girl hits it with the side of her blade, leading the pipe to her left rather than simply deflecting. Just as it seems like the elf is about to have her stance broken from the momentum, she simply goes along with it, spinning 180 degrees before shooting a straight backwards kick at Nepgear right in the stomach.

With a pained grunt, the Candidate recoils a few steps, which, as expected, her enemy takes advantage of, dashing yet again and stabbing forward. Even though still a bit unfocused, it's easy enough for the lilac-haired girl to hit and deflect the attack, hitting its side and throwing the pipe to the ASIC member's right.

What is not exactly easy, however, is leaning back to dodge the _instant_ horizontal slash that comes, as if momentum isn't a thing anymore. As if that wasn't enough, the greenette takes a step forward and the pipe comes back as fast as it went, forcing the lilac-haired girl to block it reflexively.

For several seconds, as both combatants push at each other, Nepgear attempts to rationalize what just happened. How is this girl doing those things...?! It's like she's _modifying physics_ in order to suit the situation!

"... Heh."

"?!"

Her thoughts are cut short as the ASIC underling suddenly pushes her pipe upwards against the sword and lets go, making it rotate around the laser blade before grabbing onto the dented end. Before the lilac-haired girl can react, the elf pulls her sword down before immediately—instantly, even—following up with an upwards swing, hitting the Candidate's jaw and forcing her to recoil, letting go of her weapon.

As if that wasn't enough, her foot once again gets caught up on the cloak, sending the girl down but not before she feels yet another attack connect as the pipe's edge hits her stomach.

Instinctively closing her eyes, Nepgear hits the ground loudly and keeps going, letting out a yelp as her back hits the low guardrail around the platform. As she immediately brings both hands to the spot hit, she can't help but marvel at how much that actually _hurt a lot_.

Heck, if she didn't have the stats of a low-quality yet still genuine CPU and her level had been just a bit lower, she'd be _unconscious_ by now! Her mana already took 40% damage from that alone! Even more worrying, there was _definitely_ something wrong with that attack!

 _It was as if physics stopped working properly._

 _What's going on here?!_

After a long instant, the Candidate manages to open her eyes—

 _ **Blood.**_

 _ **Oozing from the large gash in her torso is pure, scarlet blood, painting the floor red in its wake.**_

 ** _Her breathing quickens. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts._**

 ** _The blood isn't stopping. It's coming out and it isn't slowing down at all._**

 ** _She'll die. She'll die. It hurts. She'll die. It hurts._**

 ** _It hurts._**

 ** _She'll die._**

 ** _IT HURTS—_**

 ***BANG***

Nepgear gasps as a boot enters her view, putting her thoughts to a stop before reflexively roll backwards, going straight into a crouch as the pipe, held much like a baseball bat, hits and _**breaks her skull**_ dents the guardrail. Immediately after, it skips yet another essential step of any attack and somehow shoots towards the crouching girl, forcing her to _**die once more**_ pour mana into her legs and jump backwards to dodge, flipping around from the momentum alone and landing on her feet near the platform's edge.

She doesn't waste time thinking about _**her incoming demise**_ the somewhat impressive move she just pulled off, instead grabbing onto her cloak, undoing the clasp around her neck and throwing it at her enemy before she can follow up with another attack, being left only with the scarf afterwards. The Candidate hadn't noticed it against Nepugia, what with not doing many precise movements back there, but it's surprisingly easy to trip _**and die**_ on the darn thing...

It's only a liability at this point.

Well, except if used like this.

The ASIC underling lets out a surprised grunt as the cloth falls on her, blocking her vision completely. Not missing a single beat, the Candidate summons and flings several grenades at once in a single movement before looking away just as the explosions come.

Following that, in a single motion, her right hand strokes her stomach in a line, searching for something there.

 _ **On her palm, she can feel the overflowing liquid as a sharp pain—**_

... It finds absolutely nothing wrong.

Shaking her head to try and stop all these weird thoughts, Nepgear starts running straight towards the Mascot while calling the cloak back to her inventory. Her task here isn't to _**be murdered by**_ fight an ASIC member, much less somebody with an effective ability like this elf; if she can just transform and grab the disc—

 ***CLANG*** "GKH?!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, something metallic hits the side of Nepgear's head _hard_ , **_going right through her head_ ** throwing the girl off-balance and sending her to the ground. Doing the same maneuver as before, she manages to **_break her neck_ ** roll into a crouch rather than crash on the metallic floor before turning towards the direction the hit came, just in time to see the pipe somehow _**burrow itself deep into her heart**_ spin back to her enemy's raised hand, as if manipulated into doing so.

Well, that and said enemy standing in the same spot as before, looking more _**eager to murder her**_ annoyed than anything, even as her eyes seem a bit unfocused.

Facts don't lie, though, and the lilac-haired girl can clearly feel that her stunt **_unfortunately didn't kill_ ** took out around 25% of **_her future killer_ ** the elf's HP.

However, as Nepgear carefully raises to her feet, hastily summoning a pair of laser daggers to her hands, that doesn't stop her from **_being finished off_ ** gulping at the glare she's now receiving. It's great that she did some damage, but to have several point-blank fragbang explosions **_not murder_ ** cause _25% damage and seemingly no side-effects_ isn't exactly encouraging.

If anything, that's way too worrying...

 **It means she'll probably die here.**

 _'No, no, NO! STOP IT!'_

The lilac-haired girl grits her teeth, willing these distractions to go away. Her mind can't just up and fail her because she got a little bit hurt, not _now_...!

"... You're really startin' to annoy me, pinkie," the underling grumbles, wincing slightly at her own voice before resting the pipeon her shoulder. "Last chance, you either scram or I'll really kill you five-freaking-fourths to death."

Which means her body won't even be recognizable, the Candidate notes as she resists the urge to gulp yet again.

All things considered, this situation might be a little bit worse than she thought... Her HP is at 47%, her enemy is still at 75% and going strong, her party is nowhere to be seen, she's pretty much cornered right now and any attempts to run will end with her only chance to save Neptune and the other CPUs gone.

There's no clear way of doing this anymore.

What does that leave her to do, then?

Does this mean she has to **die** again, letting IF and Compa down despite all her big talk, and yet coming back to retry all the same? She'll experience **death** once more, feeling unbelievable pain before being led to a moment of peace, only to return and go through this game of suffering all over again?

At the mere thought, cold sweat trails down the lilac-haired girl's cheek, several memories resurfacing in her mind. She can't pinpoint how exactly she feels about the prospect of going through that right here, but it's _not_ a good feeling. Even if it'd be "effective" to just thrust a knife into her own heart whenever things look bad and come back with the upper hand, that doesn't change one little thing.

 **Nepgear doesn't want to die.**

The girl knows that almost anyone aware of her ability would chastise her for not taking advantage of it, _of course_ she does. But they don't understand the feeling of having your life fade away as you find yourself unable to do anything about it, struggling for just a chance to live when there's none, or worse, attempting to accept that everything is over and yet being unable to.

It's true that Nepgear can meet her end too fast for the horror to set in, yes; but what if that _doesn't_ happen? What if shooting herself in the head actually results in a single instant of endless torture? What if she panics and freaks out _horribly_ after stabbing her own heart with a laser blade, instinctively willing her mana into action and preventing her nerves from being burned off before the pain?

What if she doesn't actually come back after committing suicide?

Nepgear's _not_ some old woman who lived a fulfilling life, now surrounded by family and friends as these last moments feel like the peaceful end of a long tale; she's a young girl filled with regrets and wishes, the sort of which no one can just forget in a second, and if there's something the CPU Candidate has despite all her uselessness, it's the will to _live._

No matter how many times Nepgear dies, as long as she cares and a minuscule part of her mind still wonders whether another reset will even happen, she'll _never_ lose that.

If her current life comes to an end, it **won't** be by her own blade.

The so-called Planeptunian Candidate is far too cowardly for that.

Which is why she _has_ to look for a way out, no matter how impossible it seems...!

Instinctively, the girl glances at the Mascot disc, floating just a meter to her right. Transforming right now would be suicide; her enemy would just hit her, cancel the transformation and then hit her some more. Still, the disc is right there... Should she risk it and just run? Maybe attempt some sort of diversion first—

"Eyes are right here!"

"?!"

Suddenly, her enemy appears once more right in front of Nepgear, the pipe held overhead by only her right hand and ready to descend.

Good thing that trick is old.

The girl takes a step back, letting the pipe descend far faster than it should where she once was. Even so, the elf suddenly reaches for the weapon with her other hand, somehow making it change directions at the height of her chest.

Left without choice, Nepgear spins both dagger forward to hold them in reverse and blocks the incoming pipe, a loud "clang" sounding as it hits the mana blades, smoke rising as the thin fields around the energy rip, tear and regenerate endlessly. This time the Candidate doesn't stop after stopping the attack, instead pushing the pipe upwards despite fully expecting yet another change of direction.

It just so happens, however, that the weapon does go up without an unrealistic amount of resistance, alongside both of the underling's hands holding onto it.

 _'A chance...!'_

Taking note of what just happened, Nepgear proceeds to twist her right dagger back to a normal grip, taking a stab at her enemy—

"?!"

Only to be forced to stop and dodge to the side an unexpected _upwards kick_ , its speed abnormal despite the elf's broken stance. Immediately after, as impossible as it should be, her other leg _raises_ , missing the Candidate by several centimeters and yet somehow _propelling the underling back,_ instantly sending her into a backflip. Her left hand lets go of the pipe before her head can hit the floor, reaching for the metallic ground in an attempt to complete the movement.

Which she probably would have.

Had Nepgear not thrown her right dagger at the greenette's free hand, that is.

Rather than some sort of elegant recover, she instead falls facefirst on the ground with a grunt and a loud "bang," a sight which would be rather comical if the Candidate's life wasn't sort of on the line right now. As expected, it's not long until she seemingly begins a roll backward, no doubt in an attempt to go into a crouch.

Unfortunately, she doesn't even notice the several fragbangs flying at her.

 ***BOOOM* *BOOOM* *BOOOM***

Just like before, the grenades explode one after another as the lilac-haired girl diverts her sight. Unlike before, however, Nepgear instantly follows up by directing her sight back to the spot the elf is—

 ***Splash***

"Huh?"

Except she's not there anymore. And the sound which just came makes it quite obvious she's not even on the platform anymore.

And the lilac-haired girl can only blink at that.

What just happened...? First her enemy does a literally _impossible_ movement, then fails to avoid an attack which essentially did nothing but make her mad earlier?

Why did this end differently? How did the elf girl even propel herself just now? Why did a previously failed stunt become much more effective this time? Does she have rockets on her legs or something to pull off that backflip?!

 _Can somebody please explain her ability already?!_

 ***Splash***

 _'What the—'_

Her line of thought suddenly grinds to a halt as the metal pipe suddenly comes back from the water, spinning vertically as it goes straight for the Candidate. It's easy enough to sidestep it, letting the weapon hit the ground quite noisily on the spot she once was before bouncing back up in an unnatural manner.

It's not that easy, however, to rationalize the fact that the underling is now _right behind said spot, completely drenched and not looking exactly happy with that._

 ** _'What the—?!'_**

The greenette takes hold of her pipe easily enough before swinging it far too fast towards Nepgear, who attempts to block it with her remaining dagger. It's nowhere nearly enough, though, and the weapon flies from her grasp as the pipe hits her stomach, sending the girl lurching forward with a gasp. Immediately after, the pipe recoils and then somehow _accelerates_ to her head, sending the lilac-haired girl tumbling and rolling on the ground until hitting the guardrail yet again, except _head first_ this time.

For a moment, Nepgear can only writhe in pain at her latest 40% of damage, her HP now dangerously low.

 _ **At the same time, the gashes all over her skin begin to—**_

 ***BANG***

Suddenly, a loud impact sounds right in front of her fallen body.

"!"

Realizing the familiar situation, and how she can't _possibly **survive**_ move as fast as before with her body feeling like this, the Candidate _**dies** _ does the first thing she can think of.

Namely, **_being killed once more_ ** throwing a grenade straight upwards.

"That's—?!" the elf's surprised voice sounds just as the lilac-haired girl _**stabs right through**_ takes a glance at her.

It's in that moment that **Nepgear sees it**.

A **deathly** panicked expression whilst looking at the explosive, something akin to **horrified** recognition in scarlet eyes, the hand holding the metal pipe raised and yet not descending out of **fear** and surprise alone.

Just like that, it's as if the floodgates in her mind open. Suddenly, the Candidate sees thousands of brutal, efficient possibilities, most of which her mind would _never_ think of in any other situation. Alongside them, the girl feels something else, a sensation which should _scare_ her, and yet which shines so brightly she feels inclined to embrace it.

If Nepgear doesn't do anything right now, she'll **die**. That much is beyond obvious.

And so, for just an instant, she actually attempts to reach for the unsettling light in her mind. In a single, fleeting moment, it's as if the shackles placed around her very being threaten to shatter.

Yet, she doesn't stop it.

At this moment, no doubt as to what is this which is right in front of her.

 _An opening._

 _ **She can end this.**_

Taking her chance, letting all her restraint disappear in the wind, the Candidate hastily takes off her scarf and swings it at her enemy's neck, making the underling's stunned gaze descend from the grenade on the air and onto the fallen girl just as the cloth makes contact.

Unfortunately for her, a look is not enough to stop Nepgear from grabbing the other end of the scarf as it comes back as fast as it went, neither from **crossing both ends and cutting off her enemy's air** before _pulling_ as forcefully as possible. With a gasp, the elf is sent falling towards the Candidate, only for a pair of legs to push against her stomach.

Taking in consideration her sheltered life, it's not much of a surprise that the lilac-haired girl never had any formal training aside from some sword lessons from several Basilicom adventurers. Of course, that means no fancy martial arts were ever inserted into her mind, and neither her moveset for that matter.

And yet, as she hurriedly disengages her scarf from **strangling** her enemy's neck and proceeds to lead her body with both legs, sending the greenette flying high off the platform from the momentum alone, Nepgear almost feels like she studied judo for a long time.

Still, she doesn't waste time thinking about it, pouring mana into her muscles before taking advantage of her position and quite literally jumping back to her feet just as a splash sounds from behind her.

"Kgh!"

A moment later, Nepgear falls to her knees as her exhausted body _burns_ , ragged breaths starting at about the same time as the grenade she threw instants before hits the floor right next to her .

That doesn't change how that stunt saved her, though.

Even if it felt too brutal for her.

 _'... No, that's not important. I **need** to win, and as long as it raises my chances, anything goes.'_

That's right... No matter how dirty it feels.

Inwardly thanking her semi-constant training back in the Basilicom and the many action movies she watched through her life—because, honestly, the usual giant robot stories wouldn't have help there—the lilac-haired girl puts the scarf back on before glancing at the spot where she threw her enemy, if only not to let the elf out of her sight.

Her jaw almost drops at what she sees.

Rather than submerged and possibly about to receive a surprise grenade, the violet girl is instead _on the water_ , down on all fours like a beast as the liquid beneath ripples but doesn't give out.

As Nepgear gapes at the sight, her enemy slowly raises to her feet, obviously struggling to do so. In the end, she can only remain with her back arched forward, as if a massive weight is on her shoulders.

Even more telling is the _exhausted_ expression on her face, the girl taking quick breaths as she glares intently at the Candidate.

That doesn't make sense at all... The one who took the most damage and is on the verge of being defeated is _Nepgear_ , not the ASIC underling! Furthermore, how is she stepping on the water?! Why isn't _gravity_ pulling her down?!

"...!"

In that instant, realization crosses the Candidate's face. Can it be...?

"Alright..." the enemy girl begins, panting. "... I'm definitely killing you now."

 ***SPLASH***

Suddenly, the elf shoots upwards, the water on which she stood shaking and rippling violently at the movement. Her speed dies down just as she reaches about three meters above the platform's height, scarlet eyes still focused on the lilac-haired girl.

Half a second later, a black boot is twenty centimeters away.

"!"

Using reflexes no human would have, Nepgear moves out of the way at the last instant, the dropkick grazing her cheek before the underling hits the platform not even a meter away.

In that moment, it's as if time slows down.

As she takes a step back, the Candidate eyes the enemy right before her, obviously tired and slouched after the landing.

Then she notices the greenette's right fist near her waist, discreetly pointing at its target.

It shoots forward at an impossible speed, aiming for the head.

The lilac-haired girl's own hand already moved, however.

A loud smack sounds as the Candidate quite literally _slaps_ the fist away with her right hand, the attack only barely touching her hair. The most important part, however, is how her enemy _loses her balance_ , falling forward with an utterly surprised expression as her punch sails past.

 **Nepgear was waiting for this.**

She knew it. Everything makes sense now. This girl, somehow, can affect _gravity itself,_ at the cost of tiring herself out and possibly inflicting pain on her own limbs for a while. That explains the abnormal accelerations she used before, their limitations and the cooldowns, not to mention her exhaustion.

It just so happens, though, that it also reveals a weakness.

 _Her speed raises. Her reflexes don't._

Without hesitation, she delivers an uppercut to the underling's jaw, stopping her dead in her tracks. Not willing to stop just yet, she follows up with a punch to the stomach as revenge from before, forcing the elf to lurch forward with a gasp, before grabbing her by the jacket and headbutting her face, sending her falling backwards.

But that's not enough.

 **It's not nearly enough.**

Just as her enemy touches the ground, Nepgear doesn't waste time in shooting forward to her spot. Before the greenette has the chance to try and get up, the Candidate **jams a foot against her windpipe.**

"?!"

Instantly, the underling gasps in pain, automatically reaching for Nepgear's leg. She's not fast enough, however, and the lilac-haired girl takes several steps back before her enemy can pull off some sort of gravity trick. That has the side-effect of allowing her to roll to a crouch and raise to her feet, though.

But that's no problem.

 **Not when she already flung a grenade.**

 ***Bang* *Cling* *Cling* *Cling***

... Which her enemy swatted away, alongside neutering the mana on it.

Oh, well.

No doubt accelerating her legs, the violet girl shoots forward, attempting yet another punch. As expected, Nepgear dodges it to the side, only for the underling to actually have some good sense and stomp at the ground, stopping herself. Without delay, she throws an enhanced right hook at the Candidate, only for the latter to duck backwards and slash upwards at the arm with a laser knife she had already summoned, eliciting a grunt from her enemy.

Reversing its grip overhead, the lilac-haired girl brings the weapon down on the underling's upper arm, only for her to rotate in place and throw an accelerated roundhouse kick, hitting Nepgear's hand and yanking the knife from her grasp. The Candidate doesn't allow herself to as much as flinch at that, instead using the momentum to unleash her own roundhouse kick, hitting the violet girl on her back and sending her to the platform's floor easily enough.

The underling hits the ground loudly, rolling a few times before coming to a stop, writhing on the floor with her back turned towards Nepgear.

For several seconds, the Candidate waits for the girl to raise from there and start fighting again. After a full minute passes, however, nothing happens, and the violet girl is still on the floor, panting and squirming in pain.

Such a sight brings a wide smirk to the Planeptunian Candidate's face.

 **She won.**

At first, only the glee of having the upper hand was occupying her mind. Now, however?

 **The bliss of victory is all hers.**

... Wait, no. It's not over just yet.

Summoning a pair of daggers to her hands, the lilac-hared girl starts walking towards her fallen enemy.

 **It's not over until she's out cold.**

Anything else would be dangerous. As long as the elf is conscious, she can always try to pull something off.

 **Nepgear won't take the risk.**

"You know, this is pretty funny," the Candidate muses as she comes to a stop just three meters away from the violet girl, her smirk only widening. "You were the one talking big, but look who's still standing."

That's right. For all of Nepgear's uselessness, if she puts her mind into it, she's very hard to kill.

 **Just like a roach.**

Bringing a single fragbang from the inventory to her grasp, the lilac-haired girl raises her hand, preparing to deal the finishing blow.

"Hey..." the underling suddenly mutters from her spot on the floor, giving Nepgear some pause. "Do you know... what's really funny...?"

"Hm?" The Candidate can only raise a quizzical eyebrow at that. What is she going on about—

 _"How you fell for this!"_

"?!"

It all happens too fast.

In a single movement, the elf turns around, flinging something at her. Out of nowhere, a burning sensation hits the lilac-haired girl's hand, forcing her to drop her own grenade.

A single glance answers many questions.

 _Her own sword is falling to the ground after having hit its target._

Amethyst eyes widen as much as possible. In a single instant, focus returns to Nepgear's mind, alongside a multitude of curses prompted by her own idiocy.

 **She lost herself amidst the battle.**

 _ **Again.**_

A "clang" sounds, and just as the Candidate looks forward once again, _the elf is right in front of her, ready to swing her resummoned pipe._

In that instant, a gasp threatens to escape her lips as she attempts to move, sidestep, duck, _anything_.

Just then, her enemy's right boot touches her own, _prompting it to accelerate and slide on the ground._

"?!"

That's when Nepgear realizes. It's literally _impossible_ for her to dodge anymore.

Her HP is now a measly 5%. The elf will manage to hit her at full power.

 _It's over._

"...!"

And then it happens.

Out of nowhere, _something_ hits her right side and pushes her to the ground.

Blue coat. Long brown hair.

The pipe connects to somebody else's side.

A sickening crunch sounds.

The lilac-haired girl falls on her side, still looking at the scene.

And IF hits the ground nearby face-down, lying still soon after.

"..."

Nepgear stares.

As the underling girl seems utterly stunned at what just happened, Nepgear stares.

A familiar voice shouts the brunette's name in panic, and Nepgear stares.

The nurse runs up to her childhood friend, falling on the ground right before placing her syringe down and panickedly inspecting the downed girl, all the while Nepgear stares.

And then it hits her.

IF.

IF.

 **IF.**

She's hurt. No matter how you look at it, she's hurt.

Compa carefully turns her around, not even batting an eye at the enemy present, who still seems shocked.

IF still doesn't move.

 _ **Bleeding. She's bleeding all over.**_

 _ **She'll die. She'll die any moment now.**_

She's hurt.

IF took a hit for Nepgear.

She's hurt. She'd definitely hurt.

As she lies on the ground, being checked up by the nervous peach-haired nurse, she's hurt.

IF is hurt.

 **She's hurt.**

 _ **Blood. There's blood all around now.**_

 _ **IF's blood. Scattered on the floor.**_

But there is not a single drop.

But IF is still hurt.

Because she took a hit for Nepgear, she's hurt.

 **This is her fault.**

 **This is all her fault.**

 ** _There is a gash on her side. Her arm is visibly shattered. Bloody cuts are all over her body._**

 ** _She'll die. She'll definitely die._**

Even if there is no blood, it's her fault.

Her fault.

Her fault.

 **Her fault.**

 **IF will be gone first. Compa will be done in next.**

 **And she'll be the last one.**

 **They'll all die. She'll retry. But they'll all die.**

 **It's all her fault.**

 **Definitely her fault.**

 **Her fault.**

 **Her fault. Her fault. Her fault. Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault.** **Her fault—**

"Iffy, wake up!"

Nepgear gasps.

Suddenly, reality surrounds her once more.

IF is still fallen. Compa is still inspecting her injuries.

Their enemy is still standing there, staring at the fallen brunette.

And she'll kill them. If the Candidate doesn't do anything, she'll kill them.

The elf will surely kill each one of them.

At once, Nepgear finds her breathing hasten. What should she do? What can she do?

What _will_ she do?!

In panic, the lilac-haired girl waves her head around. There has to be something, _anything_ which can help her. If she were to throw a grenade, only for it to be ineffective and break the ASIC underling out of her stupor, all it'd do is trigger the whole party's demise!

To march towards certain death is one thing, but to have others die because of her?!

She can't accept it.

 **She won't accept it.**

And yet, the world itself isn't helping her in the slightest. No matter where violet eyes focus, only water, roots and small monsters amidst them are visible. There's no way she can use those... There's no way she can just control roots or monsters!

"...!"

 _Unless there is._

Hastily, amethyst eyes snap towards the grenette. Even after half a minute, she's still standing there, stunned.

 **Perfect.**

As fast as possible, Nepgear summons a certain thing to her right hand before taking a deep breath, concentrating as much as possible. Right then, a dim green light covers her body as the weak Heal spell she finally has a chance to use takes effect, recovering her HP to a somewhat less dangerous level. Following that, without delay, much like she did long ago against that halberd-wielding CFW, the girl attempts to bury all her hesitation and fears, even if only for an instant.

A moment later, she shoots forward, a bright light blocking her sight and creating a white pillar all around her.

"A CPU?! Are you kid—?!"

Hearing the surprised voice is all Nepgear needs in order to know she's been spotted.

Not that it matters at this point.

As the light fades, the sight which greets azure eyes adorned by power symbols is a surprised elf, holding her pipe like a baseball bat and about to swing it horizontally. Despite the soreness of her entire body after all her effort and damage taken, Purple Sister still manages to duck under the weapon with her enhanced reflexes, stomping both feet on the ground in order to come to a stop and shoving her open right palm towards her enemy's stomach. The attack manages to connect, eliciting a gasp from the ASIC underling as she's sent flying backwards by the unexpected force behind it.

Unsurprisingly, just as her back touches the ground, the greenette manages to roll into a crouch, raising to her feet soon after. Glaring at the CPU Candidate, she actually goes into a fighting stance for the first time in the fight, holding her pipe forward with both hands like a sword. Unhesitantingly, no doubt emboldened by the lilac-haired girl's low HP, she prepares to advance despite knowing the true nature of her enemy, taking a step towards her—

" _Stop,_ " Nepgear suddenly commands amidst heavy breathing, pointing straight at the elf with her empty right hand.

Be it for curiosity, or just being far too wrapped up in the atmosphere, the underling actually halts in her spot, confusion all over her tired face as she holds the pipe in front of her.

... Huh.

Hope might be useless, but it looks like good things still happen.

Not wasting the chance, the Candidate continues. "Can't you notice anything weird, Miss Underling?"

"'Anything weird'?" the elf repeats in disbelief, her glare becoming even harsher. "What are you, a moron? Expectin' me to look behind me next—"

It's then that she stops.

Slowly, scarlet eyes descend to the spot Nepgear hit her.

An unbelievably strong smell. There's no doubt that's what she just noticed. The Candidate can clearly feel it from here, but there's no telling just how more pronounced it is for her enemy.

After all, smeared all over her stomach is something akin to a light brown paste.

"... The hell is this," the greenette asks flatly, bringing her furious gaze back to the lilac-haired girl. "First you show you're a goddamn CPU, then you start _mockin' me_? Just because you can wear a stupid swimsuit out of nowhere doesn't mean you can do crap on your last legs—"

"Grrr..." "Dogoo!" "Grawr!" "Lip!"

The violet girl freezes just then. Slowly, not even caring about Nepgear attacking her, she actually does look behind her.

What greets her is the sight of innumerable monsters, from pipe plants climbing up the platform from the water before to dogoos and tulips moving closer, be it through the metallic pathways or the roots above. Even more interesting, however, is the _ancient dragon_ far into the distance, _clearly staring at the underling._

"..." As expected, to say the greenette is gobsmacked would be a massive understatement.

And, even as she finds her mind mostly unclouded by the success of her stunt for once, Nepgear can't keep a small smirk off her face.

Thank goodness she voluntereed to carry Compa's failed experiment.

"It's true that you can win easily if I'm this hurt," the Candidate comments, letting quite a bit of pride seep into her voice. " _If_ you only fight me."

"Wha—" the underling snaps her head towards her enemy, shock almost surgically attached to her face at this point. " _How_?!"

"Isn't it obvious? _A bait_ ," the lilac-haired girl explains, perhaps too happily despite her ragged breathing, letting her hand fall to her side. "The smell attracts monsters... and the noise brings in even more! You might be able to beat me up and down without issues if you attack me right now," she admits, "but can you do that when the entire dungeon is against you? _Can you?!_ "

Just then, her smirk grows tenfold.

 ** _"Underling?!_ "**

At the nickname, the elf grits her teeth, completely aware of the approaching sounds of hungry plants and hopping slimes. "W-Why, you...! My name is _Linda_ , dammit!"

"I see." Nepgear nods. "I'll make sure to forget it."

"You... bitch!" The violet girl's shouts back, her entire expression twisting in anger.

Even so, she doesn't waste time in turning around, the cracked heart symbol on her back clear to see as she shoots off at abnormally high speeds, sidestepping any monsters in her path. Of course, all the creatures move to follow her, even the carnivorous pipe plants which just managed to get on the platform.

She's in for an adventure, that's for sure.

 _"I'LL STILL GET YOU DAMN BROADS FOR THIS!"_

"... Good luck with that," Nepgear finds herself muttering a line from a comic as the shout comes, probably feeling far more pleased with herself than she should as she reaches down to grab her fallen sword off the floor, turning it off.

With the elf's trick exposed, there's nothing much she can do with the element of surprise.

Not anymore.

As fast as it came, the smirk on her face disappears as amethyst eyes gaze at the bladeless handle in her grasp. It wasn't just losing herself in the fight like a lunatic, forgetting about the weapon she let go of was also a horrible mistake...

It led to _this_ , after all.

Feeling even more pain flaring up all around her body as the adrenaline fades, Nepgear turns towards her party, not even caring about her sore muscles.

Any remaints of cheer she still had evaporate in an instant.

IF is still unconscious, fallen on the platform's floor with pain written all over her face. Compa, meanwhile, is just seated next to her, worry clear on her features as she observes the brunette's chest slowly rising and falling as each second passes.

And this, of course, is the so-called CPU Candidate's fault.

All because the lilac-haired girl just felt the need to taunt her opponent, throwing all caution to the wind. All because she couldn't help but lose focus amidst the utter _joy_ of actually succeeding at something. All because she became drunk on the rush of actually affecting an obviously stronger enemy with no qualms against killing her.

All because Nepgear _loved_ the feeling of dominance and happily embraced it, just like she did against Nepugia.

It was all the same as that time, the lilac-haired girl realizes as she makes her way towards the other two. Back then, she didn't actually lose her mind as she tricked herself into thinking. Just like now, she convinced herself that she had to do something merciless or just plain insane in order to survive. Then, when it worked, the idiotic girl felt absolute _ecstasy_ at the prospect of success after so many horrifying failures, seeking it more and more up until the point she messed everything up.

It just so happens that "success" in a battle means _causing pain._

 _Nepgear literally felt bliss at hurting somebody else._

 ** _And so, IF was hurt._**

The worst part, the girl adds with a frown, is how she doesn't know if she can stop it from happening. The joy she gets from hurting others after being the suffering is just unbelievably _addictive_.

And that in itself is horrifying.

 _'I already knew I was a failure of a CPU... but this is just too much...'_

To call it "messed up" would be a terrible understatement...

Finally, Nepgear stops before her fallen party member, a bright light enveloping her as she returns to her normal form. Guilt, disgust and anger at herself rage around her mind, and even more so when the realization that she could easily kill herself right now and prevent this comes.

Because she doesn't _want_ to. And, even if she did, the girl is sure she wouldn't as much as be able to go through with it.

 _'I'm just... horrible.'_

At least now there are no doubts about that...

"... I don't think it's that serious," Compa begins, looking up at her with tired eyes full of remorse. "But she was already shrugging off damage from the viral tulips... Iffy might have broken something, and I can't just put some bandage on it and make it alright..."

"Don't you have some skill that can heal her?" the Candidate asks quietly, even though she already expects an answer.

"Healing magic restores mana, not wounds... I already did everything I could," the nurse reveals what Nepgear already knew with a sigh, looking down at her friend. "It might speed up the recovery, but she's still hurt... even if it's not as bad as it could have been..."

At the answer, the lilac-haired girl inwardly berates herself for the question. Of course they wouldn't have made that sort of advancement in just three years. What the goodness was she thinking, hoping like that...? "I see... I'm sorry. Because I didn't take care, IF..."

"Stop it, Ge-Ge."

"Huh...?"

"Just... stop it," Compa repeats as she carefully raises to her feet, focusing on Nepgear with a look which can only be called kind. "Iffy is still alive. Not fine, but alive... and she decided to do that herself. Even if that Underling person hit you and broke something, Ge-Ge's a CPU, so you'd have healed every little thing real fast." At those words, a small, sad smile crosses her lips. "... But only if Ge-Ge survived it. I think Iffy didn't want to bet on it."

"... Oh."

So she bet her own life instead, the Candidate realizes.

This girl... doesn't she care about herself at all...?!

It's then that the nurse shakes her head, as if dismissing some thought. Following that, she reaches for her syringe on the floor, taking it in her hands much like a rifle, as always. "C'mon, Ge-Ge. We're here for a reason," she begins, nodding towards the Mascot floating right there on the center of the platform, just a few meters away. "I'll keep an eye out for any more baddies."

"... Got it." Nepgear nods, turning towards the large floating disc. Compa's right, they shouldn't be wasting time here.

Especially not after what happened.

The lilac-haired girl takes a last look at her unconscious... friend? An acquaintance wouldn't have gone this far... right?

She's not even sure anymore...

Following that, the Candidate makes her way to the Mascot, stopping right in front of it. The disc is hovering still, shining a purple light at its surroundings. It certainly looks the part of a magical artifact, she muses to herself.

Carefully, Nepgear reaches out for it...

"Hmm...? What's happening?"

"?!"

Instantly, her hand recoils, amethyst eyes widening.

That was... a feminine voice, right? A noticeably mature one, at that, although noticeably carefree... and strangely familiar too.

Still, from where did it come from? Was it...

"You don't need to act so frightened, young CPU," the Mascot without a mouth speaks, confirming Nepgear's hunch. Although still bewildered, the girl manages to keep herself from shooting out questions as the disc continues. "Now, why have you woken me— _What the goodness happened here?! Is that girl alright?!_ "

The Candidate can't help but jump a bit at the sudden shouting. Did them... she, probably, only notice IF just now? Weird, she'd have pegged an ancient, mostly formless being to see everything in all directions...

Well, not that it really matters right now.

"Um, I think so..." Nepgear replies after a moment, being unable to keep some doubt from coming along with her words. "We were attacked by ASIC... I mean, the Deity of Sin's faction, I guess. They were trying to destroy you."

"Is... Is that so?" the disc speaks slowly, clearly processing the information. "I put myself into a slumber in order to conserve energy as Planeptune's state deteriorated, and even strengthened the seal to this dungeon... to think they were able to infiltrate it anyway..."

"Yes, ASIC is becoming stronger by the day..." the Candidate confirms, letting out a sad sigh. "I think it's pretty obvious by now, but I'll need your power to be able to do something about them and save my sister. If it's not a problem, I mean..."

It certainly wouldn't be good if this affected Planeptune's state any more, after all.

"That is... understandable, yes. I believe I can give you a fragment of my power."

At those words, the Mascot's glowing body suddenly shines bright, forcing Nepgear to shield her eyes. Just a moment later, the light fades away, prompting the girl uncover her violet orbs. Floating next to the Mascot is a purple orb of light, its size small enough to fit into a palm.

Somehow, the Candidate almost feels like calling it a fairy from its appearance alone, even if it's nothing like Histoire.

"This is all I can give you without plunging the nation into even more chaos," the Mascot explains in a soft voice, to which the orb slowly floats towards the lilac-haired girl. "It shall also function as my vessel should I ever attempt to contact you in case ASIC returns. Don't worry about your privacy, however; I can only see through it when it isn't stored away."

"I see," Nepgear mutters as the light grows closer, raising a palm for it to hover above. "It's pretty amazing how something so small and pretty holds so much power..."

It also raises some concerns about its fragility, but it's not like the Candidate will run around waving it around like a flashlight—

"You may also use it as a flashlight if necessary," the disc adds after a moment. "It's not as if it's fragile like glass."

"... I see," the lilac-haired girl echoes in a flat tone.

Well, at least that takes care of a worry.

"Thank you very much," Nepgear says honestly as her eyes focus on the disc, nodding at it... her? "This will help so much..."

"You needn't thank me, CPU Candidate," the Mascot replies, not a trace of selfishness in her voice. "It's simply my job to ensure Planeptune's, and even Gamindustri's, safety."

"As is mine..." the Candidate mutters back, her lips tugging slightly upwards. "... I believe so, at least."

"When it comes to what drives one forward, a belief is as good as the absolute truth. Just follow your heart and everything shall turn out fine," the glowing disc adds, and the lilac-haired girl can almost see a soft smile despite she having no face. "Now, I shall seek yet another area to hide myself. It would be anything but intelligent to stay here after knowing ASIC is aware of this location."

Nepgear nods at that. "Good luck."

"Shouldn't I be the one wishing you all luck? Compared to your group, I am just a disc playing hide-and-seek at all times." The Mascot lets out a quiet laugh as she says that. "In any case, I wish you all well... Especially the fallen girl. If it helps any, I feel her to be... somewhat fine. No lasting damages as far as I can see." Despite Compa having already told her that, the lilac-haired can't help but let out a sigh of relief at the confirmation. "And, most importantly, as long as you continue moving forward, I'm completely sure you'll be able to save your sister!"

"... Thank you," the Candidate repeats once again, a melancholic gaze falling to the ground. It might not be much, but to have someone like the Mascot encourage her like this... "Really, thank you for everything."

"Now you're just acting like I'm about to die," the disc replies with a chuckle. "... You truly are a good girl. To think Neptune is your sister..."

Nepgear can't help but let out a chuckle of her own at that.

"Once again, I wish you all luck," the Mascot repeats, its light slowly becoming brighter once more. "It's finally time for me to depart. Now would be a good time to cover your eyes."

It's almost impressive how fast the Candidate does just that with her free hand.

Even more impressive, however, is how she can notice the flash which comes even like that. It would have been bad if she hadn't covered her eyes—

"Argh! What the hell?!"

"...!"

That...

That was...

Faster than she even thought possible, Nepgear turns around to face the other two girls.

"C'mon...! With all the power that thing had, it couldn't tone down the freaking flash?!"

"..."

Just like that, a wide, outright stupid smile crosses her face.

Right under a visibly bewildered Compa is the one and only respectable party leader, writhing in pain as she rubs her eyes with a blue sleeve of hers.

"Of course it vanished with a flash, it's _always_ a flash with magic things, god—" IF attemps to raise her arm from her face, only for shock to cross her face instantly, forcing it to descend right back to her eyes. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, the hell?! I can't even move an _arm_?!"

She's hurt. That much is beyond obvious. The brunette is so hurt that moving around is pretty much impossible without feeling pain.

Even worse, it's all Nepgear's fault.

And yet...

"... Ha... Hahahaha..."

For whatever reason, the sounds which come from the Candidate's lips mean anything

"Gear? Is that you? Hey, this isn't funny! It's not funny at all—Argh, can't even _breathe hard_?! What sort of joke is this?!"

"Hahahaha... hahahahahahahaha!"

"H-Hey, I wasn't serious about it being a joke! Stop that! I meant it, Gear, you stop that right now! Compa! Tell her to stop! Compa!"

As the laughter continues without pause, the lilac-haired girl going as far as holding her stomach with the hand not occupied by the hovering orb of light, the nurse just stares at her two friends, one of which is still covering her eyes for not being able to do otherwise while the other does the most out-of-character thing Compa saw from her.

Then, after just a moment...

"Compaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Pfft!"

 _She cracks._

"Hihihi... hehehehe..."

"What the—Not you too! What's even going on here?!"

"Hahahahahahaha!" "Hehehehe...!"

"Did you two go crazy or something?! Really, you're creeping me out right now!... Gear? Compa? Are you even listening to me?! Stop laughing! Stop it!"

And, as what can only be called vocalized relief exits the two girls nonstop, Nepgear realizes.

All things considered, today was seriously pretty close to a total disaster.

But it could have been worse.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

"Hehehehe... Hehehehe...!"

"Guys! I'm serious! You guys?! Yoooooouuuu guyyyyyyyyyys!"

As she continues to laugh, Nepgear closes her eyes to wipe off a tear.

When she opens them, the sight which greets her is the brunette's bloodied and lifeless body, skin torn in several places and dead emerald eyes focusing on her as red paints the metallic floor underneath. Compa is standing right next to the corpse, just staring, and staring, and staring with empty eyes devoid of anything besides grief.

A blink later and it's all gone, having never existed in the first place.

Instead, what's there are her two friends, alive, mostly well and making a scene as much as her.

"Hahaha... hahahaha!"

 _It really could have been way worse._

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 _ **Well, talk about being late. It took me a while to revise this chapter, especially with my class' pace kicking off as we reach the third month of the year.**_

 _ **In any case, here we have it! This was as much about Nepgear as it was about Linda!**_

 _ **Speaking about her, I sure hope people won't think the abilities I gave her are too out of the left field. I mean, it all started from the idea that "Underling runs fast enough for everybody to comment on it, packs a punch and shows no fancy light shows in her moves." In other words, canon stuff, even if the first two could easily be attributed to being buffed by the Deity of Sin.**_

 _ **It'd just be boring to have her be "generally strong because of Arfoire" and nothing more, after all.**_

 _ **So, that was a thing! How was it? Did I entertain? Did I disappoint? Did I make Nepgear's Sanity Meter decrease too much?**_

 _ **Because I do keep track of it. Just sayin'.**_

 _ **Well, in any case, I believe there's nothing more to say.**_

 _ **Until the next dream, y'all!**_

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" ***pant***... ***pant***... Dammit..."

Linda curses under her breath as she leans against the trunk of a tree in Virtua Forest, near one of the entrances to the Mascot's dungeon. It took a while and a long chase to wipe off that damned bait, whatever it actually was, dump it in some river and deal with the monsters which didn't give up on following her.

The fishes will probably thank her. Or die of food poisoning.

... She hopes a dangerous one bites the dust. It'd be a waste to kill a friendly fish.

Not that the greenette cares, of course.

Taking in several deep breaths, it's not long until her breathing starts to normalize. To think that baby-faced broad from before was a freaking CPU of all things...

She's totally the one who escaped from the Graveyard, ain't she? Well, not that Linda would remember how that one looked like, since it's not like she spent days staring at that chick, but she was the Planeptunian Candidate, right?

And it just so happens she's leading a party to look for the Mascots and get their power. Which means the Linda will be seeing them often.

 _Great_.

Well, at least one's out of the game for now.

"..."

The greenette can't help but let a frown reach her lips at the thought. What was with that moron? As long as a CPU is alive and connected to a Sharicite, they can heal a goddamn whole limb back!

... Not that Linda would leave her alive, of course. She wouldn't.

Even if the greenette never actually killed anyone before. That'd be her first one. A CPU, to boot.

She's sure of it.

Still, who the hell is dumb enough to shield a CPU? Isn't it obvious they can survive way more than a normal person?

What a joke...

"La la la la~"

"?!"

At the sudden voice approaching, scarlet eyes widen as much as possible.

There's no doubt... That was...!

 _'Oh, goddammit! Can't I catch a break?!'_

Hastily, Linda waves her head around, looking for anywhere good enough to hide. She could probably try and put up some illusion spell, but she could also get caught in the act and be officially screwed.

Which is bad.

Spotting a tall bush nearby, the girl outright jumps into it, ignoring the few thorns trying to sap her HP at a near negligible rate.

Just moments later, the greenette's jaw drops.

"La la la la~ Flower here, flower there~ Mushroom here, herb—Wait, that's rare! Lucky~!"

With her back turned towards the bush, reaching down to grab a plant on the grassy ground, is some girl completely _identical_ to the CPU Candidate from before, at least from behind.

And by "identical" Linda means _"it's somebody else entirely."_

Wearing a black version of that broad's outfit, this gal puts the herb into the straw basket filled with plants held under her arm before straightening her back, humming to herself all along. It's quite obvious that she's on a quest, and her being close to the Mascot's dungeon certainly _seems_ like a coincidence, but that doesn't explain why there's some chick cosplaying as that Candidate while questing.

It's about then that the girl turns around, eyeing her surroundings with a smile as her humming continues.

The greenette's jaw drops.

There's no way this is just cosplay; _her facial structure is also the same!_

Is this a second CPU Candidate?! Or just an incredibly stupid coincidence brought about by genetics bullshit?!

If it's the first, _goddammit_.

Still, as the doppelganger girl continues to wander around grabbing flowers and the like, that's not what _really_ catches Linda's attention.

Instead, that honor goes to the hairclip on her head, _bearing the exact same heart symbol as the one on the greenette's jacket and top._

That's not some sort of known icon, that's Linda's _personal symbol! She literally got it from that rat!_

 _So why the hell is there some girl she never met before who looks like that pinkie wearing it on her hair?!_

"Flower picking, flower picking, la la la~"

Just like that, the greenette finds herself sweating quite a bit. This is just too weird... Should she attack the girl and ask her some questions?

Is that even safe?

As far as she knows, this might be some Twilight Area crap, and while Linda would usually laugh at such a stupid idea, there are only so many explanations for this _nonsense._

 _She's legitimately freakin' the hell out right now._

"Herb here, flower there, mushroom here, weed there, and then there were none~"

It's not long until the doppelganger moves away with a spring in her step, spinning around and just generally acting like this is the best day of her life for no discernible reason.

And then, after several more seconds pass...

Linda lets out the breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"..."

Alright...

 ** _What._**

 ** _Was._**

 ** _That?!_**


	11. Windless Hollow

Gently, the wind blows by, caressing the window's white curtais as it enter the small white room. The bright pink daisies resting in a small vase atop the similarly white bedstand, next to a fancy digital clock, aren't immune to physics either, waving lightly at the incoming breeze before coming to a stop. And, as a stronger gust briefly comes, Nepgear's long lilac hair flows without resistance, as if attempting to flee and yet not doing much in pushing the girl off the white chair she sits on.

White, white and white. No matter where one looks, they wouldn't see a single speck of a more notable color besides it, perhaps only the black handles on drawers or the metallic gray supports of the decently-sized bed before the Candidate.

It's quite the wonderless sight, maybe boring even, but it's simply fitting.

This _is_ a hospital, after all.

"..."

The thought only weighs even further on the lilac-haired girl's mind as she continues to look at the white floor with a frown, unwilling to meet the eyes of the other person in this room.

"... You're starting to piss me off, you know?"

Nepgear almost winces at that, only the fact that she was expecting it preventing such.

She knows her little act would no doubt test anyone's patience, even if she can't really stop it.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Really? You stay silent for an eternity, then just apologize out of nowhere? Would it _kill you_ to socialize like a normal person?"

No, but her idiocy almost got someone else killed. There's no way Nepgear can just shrug it off, not after she found out just how much damage was done...

"Oh, for the love of the True Goddess, what's with that face? I swear, if you break down here just because I said the word 'kill,' I'll seriously hit you."

The Planeptunian Candidate's frown only deepens at those words. She's not that bad just yet, but, at this rate, her mental state might seriously get even worse than this girl thinks it already is.

And Nepgear will be the only one to blame for it.

"I'm serious, Gear, if you came here just for this crap—"

"Would now be a good time to apologize for laughing too...?"

Just like that, the other voice stops at once, leaving behind only a loud silence between the two of them.

Slowly, amethyst eyes raise from the tiles beneath, pointing at the brunette before them. She's lying on the bed, clad only in a white hospital gown, and covered up to her upper chest by a similarly colored sheet.

More telling, however, is the utterly dumbfounded stare she's sending Nepgear.

"... You're an idiot," she speaks after a while, wonderment clear in her tone. "I'm sure anybody would say you're sweet, but you're big enough of an idiot to put Neptune to shame, you know that?"

At that, the lilac-haired girl's frowning lips twist upwards, just a little bit. "I think you already used that one before."

"And I think you didn't prove me wrong just yet," IF shoots back just as fast, letting out a sigh. "You were going to take a hit, I took it. You're still not dead, and that's the end of it."

Just like that, the Candidate's frown comes back at full force.

"'You're still not dead'...?" the girl slowly echoes, as if attempting to make sure she heard it correctly. "'You're still not dead'? And what about you?"

This was all Nepgear's fault, that's true... But for IF to just ignore what happened like this it's just plain insane!

Even so, out of all responses, the brunette shoots her a small grin. "Last I checked it, I was still alive."

"Yes, and _hurt_ ," the lilac-haired retorts a tad more forcefully than intended, her hands grasping at her skirt. She seriously intends to act like this...?! "Stop talking like you're looking forward to losing your life... It's like you don't care at all about surviving this...!"

It's then that IF gives her an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? _Of course_ I want to survive. It's not like I'm looking for a way to kick the bucket as soon as possible. That's just dumb."

And yet, her voice is _disgustingly_ calm for somebody who could have _died_ just a while ago.

Nepgear expected this girl to complain about how she had been stupid against the elf, maybe scream at her for being suicidally careless, but this...

This is just too much.

"If that's 'just dumb,' then why do you always do something stupid...?" the lilac-haired girl asks, narrowing her eyes at the brunette. "Even before you shielded me, you made all that noise to try and attract enemies, didn't you?"

There's no other explanation, after all. Back then, she simply ignored it, too focused on her mission to wonder about unnecessary things, but now that Nepgear thinks about it, that so-called idea was _far_ more careless than she was.

"Ah, well..." At that, IF looks away, clearly embarrassed. "It sounded like a good plan at the time..."

"And what if it had worked?" Nepgear continues, the grip on her skirt tightening noticeably. "What if you had gotten yourself an entire army of ASIC soldiers? Did you figure that you could just run away, even if there were a million bullets headed towards you?"

"W-Well, maybe—"

"What about Compa?" the Candidate finds herself asking. "Do you think she would have managed to survive something like that? Her aim and reflexes are great, but you know that's about it... Her defenses are _at least_ horrible!"

"I-In that case, I'd just have to hold ASIC back a little for her to get a headstart, right?" the brunette tries nervously, almost pleading for the other girl to just accept her excuses.

At this point, Nepgear is already gritting her teeth.

She's... She's _unbelievable_!

"Even if you didn't die in a second, ranged attacks don't care about headstarts...!" she manages to mumble forcefully. "What's wrong with you...?! You also put both Compa and myself in danger against Judge, if you hadn't noticed! It really is like you're trying to get yourself killed, even if someone else has to go with you!"

"Hey, it's not like that at all!" IF attempts to defend herself, trying to raise her hands only to wince a moment later. "I-It's just... Sometimes people need to take a risk or two for the greater good, right? That's what I've been doing, from fighting Judge to shielding you! I was just—"

In that instant, it's as if something explodes inside Nepgear.

It's too much. Too much stupidity, too much carelessness, maybe even too much IF.

She can't take it anymore.

Her hands hit the mattress, shaking the entire bed and shutting up the _idiot_.

"'A risk or two'...? _'A risk or two'_?! You broke _three ribs_!" the lilac-haired girl _screams_ , violet eyes glaring into emerald with far more intensity than she ever thought possible for herself. "I don't care if our medicine is great nowadays, I don't care if the Basilicom is paying for the best treatment possible, I don't care you'll be alright within just a week, _I don't care_! You could have shot her for the attack to miss, you could have shot _me_ to push my body away, hell, you could have just threw yourself at _her_ if you felt like doing it, but instead you decided to shield me like it was the only option! We've only been in two serious fights, and yet you've already tried to get yourself killed _three times_! Even worse, from what I've seen, I'm sure Compa completely supported your 'choices' or whatever she called your stupidity up until now! It's like I'm the only one who cares about our lives here! If your heart had gone and _exploded_ inside your chest, no amount of bandages would fix it, _YOU SUICIDAL IDIOT_!"

With that last shout, Nepgear finishes, tears pooling in her eyes, face completely red and breathing heavy as she falls back on her chair, clearly tired after such a tirade. "What... the _hell_... is wrong... with you...?"

As expected, at this point, the brunette is staring at the Candidate as if she had said something outrageous, like that she can return from death or the like. At this point, she wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if IF had just failed to listen everything that was said from shock alone.

To be honest, the lilac-haired girl isn't even sure herself from where _that_ came from, she muses as she uses a sleeve to wipe off the beginnings of her tears. Everything she said sounds true, and as much as she's at still fault for her friend getting hurt, there's no doubt that IF also seemed outright _eager_ to sacrifice herself back then for whatever reason, but...

When did Nepgear become this emotional _mess_?

"... So, that's how it is, huh," the brunette finally speaks after a long while, blinking. "I... crap, now I can't even retort to that."

In other words... a victory for Nepgear.

As much as that's worth.

"Good..." The Candidate mumbles, sniffing a bit. "That means you don't have any excuses left..."

"..." It's no wonder that the Guild agent stares at her once again at those words. This time, though, a genuine smile reaches her lips soon enough. "Heh, for you to just go and grow up without me noticing... I think we spent way too little time talking, miss roach."

At that, the lilac-haired girl is the one blinking. "'Grow up'...?"

What does she even mean with that? Nepgear just _screamed_ at her, that's it! How can this be considered growing up...?!

"Yeah, you actually spoke your mind for once," IF continues, as if reading her thoughts,. "I mean, without sugar-coating or backing down at some point. Heck, you just slapped me all the way!"

As those words come, the lilac-haired girl can't help but avert her gaze.

Right, emotional instability is such growth...

"Hey, don't you make that face now, I'm serious!" the brunette insists. "Seriously, if you had pulled that off after Judge before, I'm pretty sure I'd be the one shutting up. Glad to see you give up on just keeping silent and nodding along."

"You make it sound like I did more than throw a tantrum right now..."

"I'm pretty sure you're allowed to throw a tantrum after what I did, yeah." IF shoots her a slight smirk as she says that. "Besides, it's not like I'm just praising your ability to shout. Did you know that Compa visited earlier?"

"... She did?"

"You bet she did," the Guild agent nods. "Spoilers: saying she was happy would be a lie. Comps said she brought me here and then went alone to give Histoire the report _just_ so you could visit first, which, you know, you didn't." Just then, a small grin crosses the brunette's lips. "I didn't know moping around in your room was more fun than talking to me. I'm hurt."

At that, it's no wonder that Nepgear's expression falters. "W-Well... There were a couple new volumes for me to read, so..."

"So, comics better than Iffy, I see. I'm starting to think an intervention is in order," IF muses, somehow sounding smugger than ever. "Still, that's not my point. Compa said you just up and went HDD back then."

Even as she raises a quizzical eyebrow at the other girl, the Candidate slowly nods. "Yeah...?"

"Don't tell me you're not seeing anything unusual with that."

Nepgear blinks meekly. "S-Should I be?"

"... Sometimes I wonder if you're really that smart." The brunette lets out a sigh. "That's just it. You turned HDD. There was a fight, I was down, you were panicked, and you went HDD. _That's_ what's unusual, Gear."

At first, the lilac-haired girl simply stares at IF, wondering what she's even talking about.

A moment later, her eyes widen in realization.

"Ah."

Nepgear turned HDD.

Even though she, with her highly amateurish grasp of battle techniques, could _never_ do as much as a _skill_ if there was even the slightest amount of uncertainty in herself, _Nepgear turned HDD._

Filled with fear, completely panicked and without a single speck of calmness in her mind, _she transformed_.

Back then, the Candidate didn't _try_ to activate HDD. She just... _did_. Rather than struggling to concentrate or trying to empty her mind, she went straight for the switch and turned it on by herself.

Before, in that sort of mental state, the girl would have needed another CPU, usually Neptune, to either direct some Shares towards her or just push the panic away somehow, sometimes even both; according to Histoire, Nepgear still needed to somehow _burn in her memory_ the state of mind necessary to activate HDD, and then just use it to trigger the transformation from then on.

Needless to say, the way she was, turning into Purple Sister amidst a fight would be absolutely _suicidal_ because of the delay. In fact, she already thought about doing so multiple times, both against Nepugia and the underling, before promptly discarding the idea due to the dangerous while it'd take to ready herself.

And yet, by the end of the battle against that elf, she managed to focus and transform in mere _instants_ , simply by not even _acknowledging_ the possibility of not being able to do so.

The most amazing part, the girl muses, is how she can remember _exactly_ how to do it.

 _'Wait... That means... I can transform fast now...! And maybe even use skills without having to concentrate too much!'_

That's... great!

Amazing, even!

"So, feel like you've grown up yet?" IF eventually asks, breaking Nepgear away from her thoughts. "I mean, I'm kinda glad you did it by yourself. When Compa told me you transformed, I thought she had done something crazy."

The Candidate tilts her head at that. "Something crazy...?"

"Yeah, like kissing you."

"...!"

Just like that, a scarlet tint suddenly appears all over the lilac-haired girl's cheeks.

As expected, the brunette lets out a chuckle at that. "C'mon, don't get so worked up! It's not like humans have any other way of transferring Shares around!" Just as she says that, a knowing grin makes its way to her face. "Besides, I'm sure it'd empty your head pretty good."

"W-What the goodness!" Nepgear huffs, looking away in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "I didn't know you were such a pervert...!"

"What? _Kissing_ is perverted now?" IF chuckles once again, her grin only widening. "Careful not to hold hands with Compa, then; you might get _pregnant_!"

"Gosh, stop it!"

 _"And die!"_

"Geez!"

That the brunette actually starts laughing at that isn't exactly surprising.

It doesn't make it any less annoying, though.

"Aw, man, this is rich!" IF manages to say amidst a few laughs, her grin receding into a simple smirk. "Seriously, you're just so fun when you're not infuriating, y'know? Really, it's too bad this is almost over."

Nepgear lets out a huff at those words. Honestly, even hospitalized, this girl doesn't change at all—

Wait, "almost over"?

Curiously, Nepgear glances at the digital clock next to the daisies on the bedstand. What she sees has her eyes widen.

"Goodness, when did it become 7...?" the girl mumbles to herself in shock. At this point, she'll be booted out of here!

"Time's a funny one, isn't it? It's like it speeds up whenever you don't want it to," the Guild agent muses from her spot, letting out a chuckle. "It's pretty annoying."

"... I guess so." Slowly, the Candidate raises to her feet, still eyeing her friend. "Um, this might be sudden, but I'll be going, then. Try not to cause too much trouble for the nurses!"

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad, you know?" IF huffs at that, even though there's a smile on her face. "Well, see you later. Try not to get yourself killed."

"I'm pretty sure you're not one to talk about that," Nepgear retorts as she begins walking away, a slight smitk crossing her lips as a laugh comes from behind, alongside some mumblings about "someone growing a sense of humor."

Just as she reaches the doorway, the girl takes hold of the knob and opens the door—

"You guys are going on without me, aren't you?"

She stops.

"Hey, it's not like I'm mad, we can't spare any time. Even if you wanted to wait for me, I'd just send you guys going anyway!"

"... I'll call often," the Planeptunian Candidate tells her former party leader, and, somehow, she can almost _feel_ the other girl's grin at those words.

"Good. If you didn't, I'd be the one calling you guys every two hours."

Nepgear lets out a chuckle at that, if only because of how _true_ the brunette makes it sound.

She's not getting rid of IF just yet, that's for sure.

With that thought, and a smile on her lips, the new party leader steps out of the room.

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 ***Chapter 8***

 **Windless Hollow**

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The sounds of boots hitting metal echo nonstop through the large, dark chamber. At all directions, black surfaces present themselves, adorned by white, blue and even purple glowing circles and lines which give the room quite the technological atmosphere.

And, as Nepgear leans back just in time for a featureless gray humanoid figure's right hook to sail past, almost scratching her unprotected neck and usual white dress, these are the only signs that she's even moving around the borderline void.

Another punch comes, the girl pushing this one away with her left hand. Her enemy covers its torso, no doubt expecting a stab from the knife in her right grasp.

It didn't expect, however, the Candidate to spin left and hit its side with the back of her boot.

The figure's entire body ripples as if some sort of liquid, stopping its movements soon after. Letting out a sigh, Nepgear places her foot back on the ground, retreating a single step as amethyst eyes stare at her adversary.

 ** _"Simulation complete,"_** a robotic voice says from everywhere at once. ** _"Fifty-three openings ignored. Time: Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds. Rank—"_**

"Terminate ranking evaluation," the lilac-haired girl speaks first. "Also reset the program."

 ** _"Acknowledged."_**

In just a moment, the gray figure seemingly becomes liquid, melting and becoming a puddle on the floor before disappearing into any drainage grates hidden by the floor's darkness.

Nepgear can't help shudder a bit at the sight. It's as unsettling as ever...

... But now isn't the time to think about that.

Calming her stance, the girl proceeds to evaluate her own results, not exactly trusting of a machine's one-letter ranks.

Getting an S in simulation doesn't mean you'll survive your next real fight, after all.

 _'I managed to dodge and attack a bit better this time. Not that it means much in Normal Mode, but still...'_

Now, if only she could manage not to lose her sword for once, the girl muses as she walks up to the discarded weapon, taking hold of its handle with her free hand and turning off the blade. If there's one downside to laser weapons—besides the inability to enchant their edges, that is—that'd be how their relative weightlessness makes it easier for them to be yanked out of one's hands, and it gets worse as the blade grows longer. Torque is a thing, after all.

But, still...

Slowly, the girl brings the knife up to her face, eyeing its smaller handle and, more importantly, triangular laser blade. As expected, it's short, amounting to something like one table knife and half. Honestly, that's pretty much why Nepgear has been calling it a knife rather than a dagger; it doesn't really look like anything more than a needlessly technologic table utensil.

In her mind, the girl takes note to remind herself about upgrading the blade's size after she's done here. Something like a filet knife's length would probably work.

"Initiate simulation. Repeat enemy type, add shortsword weapon. Raise difficulty to six."

 ** _"Acknowledged."_**

Suddenly, the same gray liquid as before starts leaking from the floor several meters away, coming together and forming the same shape as before.

Igniting once again her sword, Nepgear proceeds to switch the weapons in her hands, holding the knife in her left grip instead. Placing her right foot forward, the girl assumes a fencing stance, pointing the larger blade at her forming adversary.

It's not like she has any training in this stance, but it's not like she hasn't see the Lastationite CPU fight before. All in all, now's a good time as ever to find out if the Planeptunian Candidate has any natural talent for it.

In front of her, the figure is already completed by now, holding a gray generic sword shape on its right hand and simply waiting for any input to move.

And then it's already two meters nearer.

"!"

Reflexively, Nepgear steps and stabs forward, only for her adversary to dodge to its left, effectively moving behind her. On the corner of their sight, amethyst eyes spot a horizontal rushing slash incoming, to which the girl manages to spin her knife into a reverse grip and deflect awkwardly before it can touch her back.

That doesn't stop the figure's momentum as it continues to run forward, however, only to suddenly jump in place just as Nepgear begins to turn her head and upper body left to reverse her stance. Before she can realize what's happening, her adversary is already spinning midair, preparing another slash.

In the lilac-haired girl's mind, a quick realization hits her. If this was a real battle, she would simply attempt to also deflect this attack, or perhaps just dodge, but wouldn't that simply prolong the encounter without any net advantage?

Therefore...!

The slash comes as expected, to which Nepgear ducks underneath. That's not all, however, as she suddenly shoots towards her enemy during the action, stabbing at its form with her sword. The blade hits its target, destroying any sense of balance and sending the being tumbling on the ground.

Of course, only for it to recover midair and land on a crouch.

... Fancy.

As her right boot hits the floor, Nepgear once again assumes a fencing stance, unwilling to let an opening show as she returns the knife to a normal grip. That strike wasn't as effective as it should have been, and all it caused was generic damage rather than some sort of extra effect like disarming, but it's still much better than what she had before.

In this case, maybe it's time to move up a bit...!

It's not long until her enemy dashes at her, attempting to deliver yet another horizontal slash towards her torso. Rather than use her sword, Nepgear instead takes a step forward, beinging her sword back as she reversesher stance, and stabs upwards at the figure's incoming right hand, throwing the slash off its trajectory as it sails over her head harmlessly. However, unsurprisingly, her adversary makes use of the momentum, planting a foot on the floor, spinning around and bringing the sword back in an upwards diagonal attack with both hands.

Even the Candidate is amazed at the ease in which she manages to spin her knife around and deflect the attack with a firm stab outwards, forcing the slash's angle to raise even further as the triangular laser blade leads it. The result is the sword missing completely, and yet being raised above her adversary's head, the unexpected movement breaking its stance noticeably.

In other words, _a blatant opening for a little test._

Remembering the same focus she had when transforming before, in a single instant, Nepgear allows her body to be enveloped in mana, enhancing her senses and physical capabilities alike.

It won't last long at all.

She doesn't need it to, however.

Her sword sails forward, and, with that, it begins.

 _' **Mirage Dance!'**_

The name is familiar; in essence, it's the same technique she used so many times against unmoving training targets. However, as her sword stabs at her enemy rather than slashing for the first move, Nepgear knows she has to improvise a little due to her unusual armament and stance alike.

The figure is forced a few steps back by the attack, which the Candidate makes use of to dash forward, plant her boots on the ground and slash downwards with her knife. She doesn't stop there, forcefully halting her momentum and slashing left with her sword, only to keep spinning and attack diagonally upwards with her knife. Hit by hit, step by step, the dance continues for several seconds more, the girl gracefully attempting to dish out as much damage as possible—

 _"Ghrk?!"_

Only to be forcefully halted by an unbelievably strong stab to the stomach, her feet leaving the dance floor.

Nepgear instinctively closes her eyes in pain as she's sent flying back, hitting the ground loudly before rolling to a stop.

 ** _"Simulation failed,"_** the usual robotic voice from everywhere says, proceeding with several statistics the Candidate couldn't really care less about at the moment.

Well... that was a bust. But why?

... Ah.

 _'I didn't focus on its weapon arm for too long.'_

It's pretty annoying that the answer comes so fast.

Still, now she knows, the lilac-haired girl supposes. That has to count for something.

Slowly, she opens her violet eyes—

 **Blood, oozing out of the wound in her stomach, it's not stopping—**

—and blinks with a gasp, eyeing her completely unharmed torso.

"..."

Nepgear brings a hand to her head as she slowly sits up, doing her best to pace her beating heart and hasty breathing.

This... might be a problem.

Her fears, given form by an damned mind. Amidst battles, distractions at best, invitations to the void at worst.

If only they were easy to ignore...

With a grunt, the girl raises to her feet, eyeing the artificial warrior before her. Maybe if she's hurt enough times, then she'll get used to it—

"Ge-Ge?"

At the voice, the Candidate's dangerous line of thought comes to a halt as she turns around.

Standing by a white, glowing rectangular shape, signaling the entrance amidst the dark polished wall, is a familiar peach-haired girl, her similarly colored eyes filled with confusion.

As she falters under the gaze, Nepgear can easily understand why.

It's already 9 PM, after all.

"Compa..."

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

Be it from tiredness or simply anticipation for what's about to come, a long sigh slips past Nepgear's lips as she sits in quite an undignified manner on the metallic bench, staring straight at the gray wall forming one of the Basilicom's many hallways.

Leaning forward and bringing the violet can of juice to her mouth, the Candidate doesn't even react as the peach-haired source of her worries sits down next to her, placing both hands on her lap.

Taking a gulp, Nepgear then lowers her drink, resisting the urge to sigh once again. She might not have the patience for this at the moment... Why can't Compa just _disappear_ from her sight for the time being?

"..."

In her mind, she can't help but wonder from where these antisocial thoughts are coming. Is she... using the nurse as a scapegoat for her frustrations?

 _'Heh... As if my personality wasn't bad enough as is...'_

Still, this isn't exactly the time to think about that and zone out. Any moment now...

"So... Ge-Ge was training."

And there we go.

"You could have at least gone home and told us where you were going," Compa continues, looking at her friend worriedly. "Histoire had to check all the cameras to find you..."

The cameras? Unbidden, amethyst eyes glance upwards, where one of the said objects is slowly rotating alongside its axis. Right, they have those... She'd probably do well to keep this in mind.

"You're just wondering how to not be caught, aren't you?"

Nepgear winces as she directs her eyes back to the nurse, noticing something akin to annoyance in them. Well, she's not wrong, but...

"... I didn't say anything because you two would just try and talk me out of it," the Candidate explains, looking at the floor.

And they'd probably be successful in doing so if pushing together, she silently muses afterwards.

"O-Of course we would!" Compa agrees, nodding at her. "It's already late, Ge-Ge! What were you even doing there?"

"Well..."

'Training,' is the needlessly snarky response which the lilac-haired almost replies with. However, that wouldn't do much to help her, the girl decides as she takes another gulp of her juice.

... Ah, right, there's also how it'd sour her relationship with the nurse. That's important too.

The fact that Nepgear almost couldn't bring that to mind is somewhat worrying...

"It's just... We're alone now, right? At least for the time being," the Candidate manages to start, letting out a sigh. "IF isn't going to be fine for a while, and we can't waste time waiting for her. So, I figured I should try to become stronger so I wouldn't drag us down anymore... I mean, after all, it's just the two of us, and you're..."

Nepgear trails off right there, wondering what to say to her friend now that she thoughtlessly began the phrase.

Weak? Unsuited for the front lines? Helpless before true danger?

Each one is worse than the last...

"... a healer," is what the lilac-haired girl chooses in the end, probably the only non-offensive classification which came to her mind.

"You could just say I'm not a good fighter..." Compa mumbles from her side.

'That's right,' Nepgear almost says. 'You might move well, but you're useless as anything besides a distraction. There are real fighters that can heal as well as you can and deal ten times more damage; even I can recover some HP by myself. If it weren't for our circumstances, you'd be better off as a normal nurse in some random hospital.'

In her mind, the Candidate finds herself noting that this is how the world works. Determination doesn't defeat world-eating monsters, and it's a fact that the peach-haired girl simply isn't soldier material. People are born with limits to their stats, their futures decided from the first breath they take; just like Nepgear was fated to be a weak CPU, Compa couldn't escape from being a weak human, which is far worse.

"..."

The lilac-haired girl doesn't speak that, however. If only because, by that logic, she should have died against that underling rather than chasing her off.

That line of thought is flawed, somehow.

But, even so...

"It's true that you can beat strong enemies with your mind," Nepgear concedes; it'd be impossible not to after what she herself pulled off. "But, if the difference in strength is just too big, even that won't do much... That's why I need to reach IF's level as soon as possible."

And that's what frustrates her so much.

How can she, who only wasted her whole life playing around, become as powerful as someone who's essentially an official mercenary to the Guild?

Hoping won't help at all, but neither might training in such a short amount of time. All the lilac-haired girl can do is try and become the least horrible substitute possible for their party, and that in itself is a hefty goal for her.

"But, Ge-Ge..."

At those words, Nepgear finds herself bracing for what's to come. Not out of fear, but by the certainty that her patience is bound to be tested in just a few moments. After all, what else can this be, besides an attempt to dissuade her from this line of thought? What else can Compa say, besides an empty reassurance that the lilac-haired girl "shouldn't try to be someone else" and the sort? What else can escape her lips, besides a reminder that the Candidate should be keeping a healthy schedule rather than doing things such as training at night?

It's just a waste of time... This whole conversation, that is—

"Iffy is pretty weak."

Nepgear freezes.

In just an instant, her attention is completely snatched by the nurse's words.

Turning to look at her friend, the Candidate lets out one simple sound which captures perfectly her state of mind.

"... Huh?"

"Iffy is weak," Compa repeats matter-of-factly, locking eyes with the stunned lilac-haired girl. "She has decent speed and kinda good attack, but Iffy is still weak."

"B-But I checked her stats in the database!" Nepgear protests, edging closer to the nurse. "They're very good for her level! There's no way IF isn't strong!"

"Um..." At the sudden proximity, the nurse can't help but stutter a bit, leaning away on the bench. "Ge-Ge does know those are just the practical stats... Right?"

It's then that the Candidate blinks, moving back to her spot. "... They're what, now?"

"Kinda like scores... I think?" Compa tries to explain, a light blush surging on her features. "They're more practice results than Iffy's actual stats, that's why they look nice. Mine do too... probably."

"Practice... results...?" Nepgear slowly repeats, confusion obvious in her face. Does that mean it's possible to go beyond your stats somehow?

"Doing stuff like moving your mana to defend better raises the VIT score, and always hitting weak spots raises ATK score," the nurse notes with a smile. "Even if you're really tough, that doesn't mean a lot if you can't smack a cute little dogoo well or block a tiny pixelvader's tackle."

"Is that so..."

It does make sense. Just like how a fragile and thin rapier can deal more damage than a big sword if it pierces through, having better technique is sometimes enough to close gaps of strength. Someone who is born strong probably won't try to push themselves to their limit, since they likely won't face tough challenges in the first place, but that can't be said for those who are weak by nature...

Still, to think IF of all people is like that... It's almost unreal.

"Iffy knew that, and that she needed to do lots to be useful," the peach-haired girl continues, her voice growing melancholic. "So she trained, and trained, and trained. I did it too, but Iffy was way more into it... I think that's why she changed a lot."

... Hm?

"She changed?" Nepgear finds herself asking, her tone perhaps a bit too shocked. "But she's just like how she was before!"

A stubborn, careless, annoying, prank-loving girl who you just can't bring yourself to hate, that is. How is she different in any way?

"Yeah," Compa agrees, nodding at her friend. "But... that's just now."

"'Now'...?"

"Yup... Before we saved you, she..." the peach-haired girl suddenly trails off, realization all over her face. "Wait, didn't I tell Ge-Ge about it earlier today?"

Nepgear freezes.

Does that mean...

"A-Ah, you did?" the lilac-haired girl says nervously, taking a quick sip of her drink. "M-My memory sure seems to be acting up today, ahahaha!"

Judging by the blank look she receives, Compa isn't exactly amused by that.

"... Ge-Ge could learn to space out less often," she replies flatly. "I'm still gonna check up on you tomorrow."

"Aha... hahaha..."

... Darnit.

"Anyway..." the peach-haired girl sighs, letting the back of her head touch the wall as she focuses on the ceiling, and yet obviously staring into her memories instead. "Iffy... She was serious. Too serious... All she did was shout orders to everybody who listened, go on quests and sleep. I... I don't think I saw her smile even once in those three years... Or at least look really happy smiling."

At every word that comes from Compa's mouth, Nepgear finds herself more and more drawn into her story, if only because of how unbelievable it seems at this point.

IF? That girl? As a no-nonsense no-fun Basilicom mercenary?

It seriously sounds like a bad joke.

"Iffy knew she was weak, so she acted strong... I think she did that for everybody else too. Nothing was ever easy, and nobody had nearly as many breaks as we have now," the nurse explains with a sad smile. "Seeing her like that... I just wanted to help somehow, in any way I could, even if it was as just some rusty, weak tool."

... That's right. She already said this before, Nepgear notes.

Is that why she supports IF's every move, no matter how stupid? Rather than honestly agreeing with her, is it actually just a sentiment of having to stand by her friend, no matter what?

This is... stupid.

Before, the Candidate couldn't help but feel amazed at Compa's determination, but now, after seeing just how far it goes?

Her hands ball into fists.

There's not a single trace of beauty in it, just the sort of idiocy that leads to death...!

"Then, we saved Ge-Ge..." the peach-haired girl continues, unaware of Nepgear's thoughts. "You slept for a long time, but... the whole atmosphere here got lighter. We began having more time to rest, our Shares started getting stable just because Ge-Ge was here, and... I could see Iffy changing," Compa reveals, her smile growing brighter. "She was swinging all the time between being sad, mad and just smiling at nothing... and everything she did had way more emotion than before."

With an even wider smile, the peach-haired girl turns towards her stunned friend. "Even so, before Ge-Ge woke up, I still thought Iffy would stay a lot more serious than before all this, but... I think something happened between you two. Now, it's kinda like those three years never happened to her."

"...?"

At that, Nepgear finds herself filled with confusion. "Something" happened between the two of them, Compa says? Isn't it possible that IF moved on from all the trauma she went through by herself?

Then again, while definitely possible, that doesn't sound particularly probable. Mental scars are just that _because_ they don't fade away easily, so maybe it really has something to do with the Planeptunian Candidate... but what?

... The pranks? Did IF start pranking her out of frustration for losing the Sharicite, only for that to somehow help her overcome all that happened?

Or maybe it has something to do with their short interactions in the following days... However, they didn't talk much, mostly because of the supposed rift caused by Nepgear using the Sharicite, so the lilac-haired girl wouldn't have noticed any changes if they did happen.

It's just too complicated... Anything pertaining to social interactions is hard to understand by nature, but this is a whole new level. Is it even possible to discern what caused IF to change back almost completely to her previous personality? Would the brunette herself be able to solve the mystery? Probably not, actually. And if that's not a testament to how difficult it is, then Nepgear doesn't know what would classify as one.

... Then again, does that even matter? In the end, isn't knowing how IF ended up like that completely needless? "Something" happened, and that's all that matters. Being aware of what it was wouldn't change anything at all.

However, there's one thing that does matter...

"If IF is now completely fine, or at least her mind is," the Candidate begins, looking at Compa. "Then why do you still want to babysit her...?"

" ***Slurp*** Hm?" Compa blinks, bringing her eyes back towards her friend as she munches on her instant noodles. A moment later, she swallows, lowering both the cup and the pair of hachi in her right grasp. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ge-Ge. What was that?"

"..."

J... Just for how long did Nepgear space out...?

 _'Goodness, the atmosphere may as well be buried by now...'_

Looking away for a moment, the Candidate lets out a few embarrassed coughs, directing her sight back to the nurse soon after.

She can't let this awkwardness destroy her focus...!

"Why do you keep babysitting IF?" Nepgear tries once again, her tone serious. "And not even properly at that! You just... smile and nod at everything she does!"

"Because I know Iffy is doing her best," Compa replies firmly, meeting her friend's gaze without hesitation. "She's been doing that for three years now. If nobody supports her—"

"Then she'll learn how to not be an idiot." The nurse winces as the lilac-haired girl cuts her off. "Fighting Judge, trying to be a decoy, pushing me out of the way when she could have done many other things... It's like she doesn't care about whether she dies, and I bet you never called her out on it."

"B-But sometimes you need to take—"

"A risk or two, I know!" Nepgear lets out a huff as she says that. "First IF and now you too? Don't tell me you did call her out and backed down when she told you that."

"..." Rather than answer, the nurse instead looks away in shame, even as she brings some more noodles to her mouth. "S-So, you did visit Iffy..."

"Yes, I did. I apologized, she scolded me for it, I yelled at her for being an idiot, she was the one who apologized, then she said we should stay in contact. And don't change the subject," the Candidate says, shooting an accusatory look at Compa. "Will I need to look after you too, Ms. Tool? Or do you actually care for your life?"

At this point, she won't be surprised at all if this girl turns out to be as suicidal as the brunette. "Our life doesn't matter" seems to be a motto around here.

"... Iffy changed a lot after Ge-Ge woke up," Compa eventually mutters, still staring at the other direction. "But I think Ge-Ge changed too..."

"Eh?" At that, Nepgear raises an eyebrow at the other girl. "I did?"

"Hm-hm." Compa nods, mustering enough courage to look back at her friend. "Nowadays, Ge-Ge seems more... straightforward, I think. And responsible. Right now, you're kinda acting like Histoire."

"I am?" The Candidate blinks. How so? She's just telling her friends that they shouldn't be so reckless, and only after she herself was stupidly reckless. This whole situation is her fault, but that doesn't change how both IF and Compa are also dangerously careless, and she, in the most hypocritical way possible, is simply telling them just that.

How does that make her anything like Histoire...?!

"... Are you trying to distract me from scolding you?" Nepgear accuses the nurse, narrowing her eyes. "I swear, Compa, if that's what you're doing—"

"N-No, not at all, Ge-Ge!" The peach-haired girl raises both hands as if to defend herself, only to let out a yelp as her noodles fly up and back to the cup. "I, um, I'm just saying! Ge-Ge's really different!"

"Hm-hm..." The Candidate slowly nods as she takes a sip from her juice, even as her expression makes it quite clear she's not buying it. "It's pretty convenient that you felt like commenting on that just now. I hope you don't expect me to just give up on this subject."

"U-Um..." At that, Compa can't help but look away once again, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "I-I know you won't... Ge-Ge is acting just like Iffy does when she's really serious about something..."

"IF now?" Nepgear mutters flatly, clearly unamused. "Next you'll say I'm like the guard in the entrance."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about..."

"..." It's then that the lilac-haired girl closes her eyes, taking a long, deep breath before looking once again into peach-colored orbs. "Please stop changing the subject."

"She is quite correct, Compa," a new voice suddenly sounds. "Your conversation is important. Try not to divert its focus."

"Hm?" "Huh?"

At that, both girls turn towards to their right, spotting Histoire walking—er, floating on her book down the hallway, towards their direction. The fairy stops just a meter away, and directing her blue eyes towards the nurse, she finally speaks. "Honestly, I am not completely sure as to your motivations for such a mentality, but it simply is not healthy. If you wish to be of use, following anyone to their death because you like them is not the way to do so. And if you believe it is necessary to take risks often, then I can only tell you to stop seeking an end to your life," she says in her usual serene tone, not a trace of annoyance in her voice. "I may not be aware of the source of your line of thinking, but I do know it will not lead to a good ending. So, do not follow it, and do try to stop anyone with a similarly dangerous thinking."

"Ah..." At first, the peach-haired girl doesn't answer, instead only staring at the fairy. However, it's not long until her gaze descends to the floor, clearly ashamed. "Okay, Histoire... I-I'll try..."

"Good," the fairy says, a smile gracing her lips. "I have already lost many people in my long life. Don't be the next one."

"Yes..."

"... So, you ignore me, but listen to Histoire when she says the same thing, huh?" Nepgear finds herself mumbling, glancing sideways at the other girl who returns the look with surprise. "That's... pretty mean, you know that?"

"I-It's not like I was ignoring you!" Compa panickedly protests, hastily leaning towards the Candidate with both hands on her cup of noodles. "Ge-Ge was just too—Um, I mean, it was too much—Er, I was thinking about it! I really, really, definitely was!"

"To think you're actually like this..." the lilac-haired girl sighs, pointedly ignoring the nurse's stuttering noises. "I guess even you changed in those years, huh..."

"My message goes to you too, miss," the fairy speaks up, practically snatching Nepgear's attention in an instant. "Ever since you came back, Planeptune's Shares have slowly recovered because of your presence alone. As Planeptune's only current CPU, you are beyond important, so you mustn't wage your life recklessly either. And, besides..." Histoire trails off, looking away as a light blush covers her cheeks. "I may be older than any living being in Gamindustri, but I did not raise all CPUs by myself like I did with you and Neptune. So, to you, as my daughter... this is an order. Do _not_ die."

"..."

For the longest of whiles, Nepgear simply stares at Histoire. As the fairy continues to look away in embarrassment, even as Compa starts timidly calling out to the both of them, the Planeptunian Candidate just stares, and stares, and stares, her mind attempting to process what just happened.

And then, after what feels like an eternity goes by...

The brightest of smiles crosses Nepgear's lips.

"I won't, mother."

"...!" Just like that, Histoire's entire face seems to turn scarlet at once, the blonde turning even more away from the two girls. "I-In any case, you two would do well to return home and rest. Tomorrow you shall depart."

"Hm? Depart?" Compa echoes, tilting her head quizzically. "You mean we're going right away? To where?"

"At this point, pretty much any other nation would do," the fairy explains as her professional tone returns, directing her eyes towards the Candidate and nurse as her blush slowly recedes. "However, I believe our best choice would be Lastation, simply because it is the closest one should you go by train, which I am sure would be safer than attempting to head to Leanbox by ship. We cannot afford to expose you two to any unnecessary danger at this point," she adds, quite obviously omitting the whole "since IF is hospitalized" part. "Before you ask, I believe it to be obvious why flying in clear view of our entire continent is not the safest method of transportation."

"That does make sense, I guess..." Nepgear mumbles as she attempts to take another sip of her juice, only to realize the can is empty. Without hesitation, the girl simply throws it towards the nearest trash can, the metallic object falling into it perfectly.

As the peach-haired girl quietly claps by her side, the Candidate blinks. Huh... She didn't really expect a three-pointer.

Well, in any case...

"We should be going, then," Nepgear tells Compa as she raises from her seat, looking at Histoire. "Um, I already ate dinner, so it should be fine to just go to bed... right?"

"... Snacks from a machine nearby are not something to be called 'dinner,'" the fairy tells her flatly.

"E-Even so..." the lilac-haired girl begins bashfully, scratching the back of her head. "I'm full anyway, so I don't think it would be good to eat anything else..."

"Maybe so," the small blonde woman sighs. "But try not to make an habit out of this."

"Y-Yes..."

Histoire's definitely her mother...

With that out of the way, as the nurse quietly gets up next to Nepgear, the fairy turns around and floats away, no doubt back to their home. A moment later, the Candidate moves to follow her, with the nurse following closely behind.

So, this is a wrap, isn't it...? Histoire brought that conversation to an end pretty easily...

Still, Nepgear can't help but wonder...

"... Why did you come all the way here?" she asks the blonde fairy moving away. "I mean, you did send Compa, right? Then why did you come all the way here too?"

The answer doesn't come immediately as Histoire continues to move, seemingly not paying attention to the girl. Still, her voice sounds soon enough, as calm as ever. "You two simply became far too entranced in your conversation. I feared dawn would come before it came to an end."

"Wait, 'dawn'?" Compa repeats from behind the Candiate. "Um, isn't that a little bit of exaggerated?"

"It does sound like it..." Without a word, Nepgear takes her N-Gear out of its holster, turning on the screen as the nurse peers over her shoulder.

What they see has their eyes widening considerably.

"O-On second thought, maybe it's good that Histy came here."

"Definitely..." the Candidate nods as she stores the device once again. Goodness, this might be an issue tomorrow...

IF is out of commission, Compa will do that so-called "check-up" which will certainly be troublesome at best, and now tiredness is yet another thing for Nepgear not to look forward to. Seriously, is there anything else the world might want to throw at her right now?

"Ah, of course," Histoire suddenly says, not even turning around to face the two girls. "Nepgear, when we get home, we shall have a conversation about your idea that training late at night is beneficial. Because, honestly, _it isn't_."

"..."

The big groan which slips past her lips isn't one of tiredness, that much is certain.

How nice. How very, very nice. Very, very, veeeeery nice.

 _'... Someone kill me.'_

If only.

Still... There really isn't much that she can do about it. After going through everything she did, a lecture shouldn't be as bad as nearly dying...

Only about four-fifths of it.

Thus, just like the many she took until now, Nepgear takes another step forward—

* * *

—and dodges to the side as some brown-haired kid runs past, laughing all the way.

As the morning's sun, almost completely hidden by heavy clouds, hits the girl's skin and white dress alike, her neck thankfully protected by a newly-bought white scarf that matches her outfit, it's way beyond a chore to transverse the crowds in the Planeptunian square. People are going, people are coming, and there's just no end in sight as she continues to move, not willing to miss a beat and be carried away by the clashing currents.

This is difficult. It's also very hot despite the weather, courtesy of the innumerable people shuffling and moving about without a second of rest. If it weren't for the lilac-haired girl's paranoia and her recent realization that scarves can actually be used as weapons, the white cloth would have gone right into her inventory long ago.

If there's a silver lining in this situation it's how, as expected, no one is even recognizing her, a simple consequence of the rushed atmosphere. If Nepgear had to conceal her identity with that cloak, she'd probably have been killed by the heat by now.

That's... not the best way to die.

"Ge-Ge! Here!"

Suddenly, someone grabs the Candidate's hands, pulling her away. Before Nepgear can realize what's happening as several faces cross her vision, she finds herself being held tightly by a certain visibly nervous sweater-clad girl, leaning against a tall stone sign of some kind.

Even without looking, the lilac-haired girl knows what's written on it.

What else could it be, after all, besides the name of this station?

"Ge-Ge! There are way more people here than I expected!"

"Well, it's Monday..."

Wriggling a bit, still held by the peach-haired girl, Nepgear manages to peer around the sign. Above the crowds, the tall, white structure, adorned by purple decorations all around and built by the best metal Planeptune could find, is clear in sight, simply waiting for the two girls to overcome its trial and reach it.

The Candidate can't help but smile at the thought. So soon and there's already a challenge right in front of them...

... What else to do but take it?

"Compa, hold on."

"Huh?!"

Without hesitation, Nepgear takes hold of the nurse and pulls her away, forcibly opening a path through the people by insistence and determination alone.

All the while a grin reaches her lips.

IF might not be there to lead her anymore. Histoire won't be right on the next room in case she needs advice. Her own bed will remain in Planeptune even as she goes away. The place where she and Neptune grew up in won't budge an inch as the Candidate disappears, as if she wasn't worth anything at all.

But she needs to have some worth. For this quest to suceed, for Gamindustri to be saved, Nepgear needs to make her useless self have some worth.

If not for herself, then to make sure everyone she knows remains as alive as she will always be.

The first Mascot has been saved, and so they got its power. The carelessness of her two friends has already been dealt with, at least for the most part. These are two definite victories for Nepgear, something to stand out amidst all her innumerable defeats.

And yet, it's not enough.

That elf, that underling... That wasn't the last they'll see of her, that much is obvious. Furthermore, ASIC may have all sorts of powerful goons, and that's not even the least of her problems. Magic, Judge, and whoever else holds that much power... the so-called Planeptunian Candidate doesn't stand a chance against them, not at all.

Which is why she needs to create some worth for herself, with her own hands.

That's why, as her feet touch the white stairs leading into the station, as the peach-haired girl in her grasp yelps and yells at her to stop running already, Nepgear keeps going, with a single thought in mind.

She'll go to Lastation.

With Compa, she'll go to Lastation.

Whatever will happen there, the lilac-haired girl doesn't know.

But that doesn't matter, all for one simple reason.

As the last CPU of Gamindustri, Nepgear is going to Lastation.

 _And the power of the next Mascot will definitely be hers._

* * *

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 ** _Well, I'm late. Overly so._**

 ** _Then again, it's pretty hard to do anything when school suddenly decides that Saturday and Sunday will be normal class days for the rest of the year._**

 ** _Free time? What's that supposed to be?_**

 ** _... At this point, all I can do is write as fast as possible and hope it's enough. The way I am now, I can only write about 3k words per day if I worry about quality._**

 ** _And, obviously, I can't just do otherwise._**

 ** _In any case, this was a thing. Conversations, character development, all the stuff that wasn't in the actual game! And with that, the first arc is done!_**

 ** _Here comes Lastation, finally!_**

 ** _I wonder just how wrong things will go~_**

 ** _With that said, I should start writing the next one already._**

 ** _So, see y'all in the next delusion!_**

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* * *

A single drop of water falls from the skies, hitting the glass window with a quiet sound. As expected, many more follow soon after, an obvious outcome of the grayed out heavens.

As the rain starts to fall, light fog revealing itself in the distance, IF silently eyes the world on the other side of the glass from her bed, emerald eyes longing, melancholic, perhaps simply bored depending on how one looks.

Eventually, the noise of falling water drowns out everything else; car horns, construction tools in a nearby half-finished building, any and all background noises, usually just barely noticed in the first place, become nothing at all as a storm begins to rage outside.

And so, still focusing on such a sight, the brunette acts upon a familiar urge, repeating an action in particular for who knows how many times by now.

She lets out a big sigh.

Being confined in this room isn't exactly how she envisioned the hunt for Mascots going.

However, does IF hold any regrets?

... Definitely.

There is no doubt that ignorance is bliss, for that sensation, emotion, or whatever one might wish to call the unbearable annoyance, definitely wasn't there before a certain lilac-haired girl hammered it in her head.

Back then, when the brunette threw herself in the way without a second thought... There really were a thousand better ways to proceed.

What sort of Guild agent is she to fail noticing something simple as that? In just what state was her mind, after those three long years, for her to forget everything about self-preservation?

Was she like that back when they fought Judge too? Was she dragging with her other people, ones she actually cares about, to their ends without a single care?

She's not sure. Even now, IF is not sure about any of that.

But she almost made Nepgear cry.

And, even if the brunette is willing to dismiss both her doubts and her the fact that she's currently in the hospital as nothing big, the same can't be said for that.

Yet another sigh slips pasts her lips at the thought. This is troublesome. And annoying. Way too annoying.

To think things seemed to be going so well just a day before...

Slowly, the bedridden girl directs her eyes slightly downwards as she brings up her green flip phone, starting yet another game in an attempt to kill time. Right now, they're probably already on their way to Lastation, aren't they? And no matter what happens in the Land of Black Regality, nothing will change how the brunette won't be there to provide assistance.

If something bad were to happen to those two, it wouldn't be a stretch to attribute it to how, as a duo, they're simply not better than all three of them together, or even IF and Compa alone. On their lonesome, stuck in a fighting combination whose efficiency is uncertain at best, and entering what might be enemy territory for all they know, it's no exaggeration to say that this whole thing feels like a tragedy in the making.

And, if that does come to pass, IF will be the only one to blame for it.

"..."

It's... not a nice feeling.

At all...

...

...

...

...

...

 ***thump* *thump* *thump***

...

...

...

... ***Click***

Emerald eyes snap open.

Hastily, IF waves her head left and right, trying to discern from where that hazy, distant-sounding noise came. When did she fall asleep in the first place...?!

In what can almost be called panic, her eyes scan the entire room, from the bedstand, to the clock above the wall, to the window protecting her from what is now a full-blown thunderstorm, up to every single spot in the white, plain ceiling.

... Nothing. There's absolutely nothing out of place.

"Hm...?"

Weird.

Then again, this is a hospital. It's not exactly weird to hear some noises now and then.

With that in mind, the brunette moves her right hand, resting over her chest, to look for the phone she undoubtedly dropped. The search doesn't take seconds, however, as she grabs onto something by her left side, bringing it to her face—

IF freezes.

In her hand, rather than her green flip phone, the object in her hand is, undoubtedly, a chocolate bar, wrapped in blue with the familiar white and red logo displaying its brand, "Munch." A moment later, her other hand finds the missing device by her right, proving that, no, this isn't a boredom-induced hallucination trying to make her put a freaking phone in her mouth.

So, basically...

 _... A chocolate bar._

The brunette can't help but blink at that. She doesn't remember getting a gift like this. Compa bought her flowers, while Nepgear, in a strangely out of character move that IF somehow found fitting, gave her a bunch of comics to spend some time reading.

Nobody bought food.

 _At all._

"..."

Maybe it was a particularly nice hospital worker? It's not exactly unheard of to see people like that in such a place, and the noise from before could have been them quietly closing the door.

... Well, she's not one to ignore gifts.

Without hesitation, IF puts her flip phone down and begins tearing off the wrapping.

* * *

Uninterested scarlet eyes watch the brunette from nearby as she starts eating the chocolate. At the sight, the girl sat by the edge of the tall building, protected from the rain just by her gray jacket, can't help but scoff at that moron's carelessness.

Really, if that was poisoned, she'd be freakin' dead by now, no buts. Didn't her mom never tell her not to eat anything from a stranger? How hasn't she been put down yet?

Just as that thought comes, the idiot freezes, only to suddenly gaze in horror at the snack which could have ended her life.

So, she noticed her mistake, huh. Maybe that gal's not _so_ stupid.

Still, that was some pretty damn late realization; in another world, she'd be a goner anyways.

As the girl continues to watch, a couple seconds later, the moron's scared face just up and disappears as she realizes she's not a corpse just yet, with the dumbass taking another bite off the snack without a single worry.

In other words, she freakin' forgot that not every single poison works instantly. Seriously, how come an idiot like that hasn't been taken out already?

... It would be pretty easy to just go there and do that, wouldn't it? All she needs to do is get in that room and... bash that moron's head in. She's already injured, so it wouldn't be a chore at all.

...

...

...

After a long while, a big sigh exits her mouth as she raises to her feet, taking care not to slip on the water and fall like a chump.

That Mascot's already gone to another hiding spot by now, so there's no point in staying in Planeptune any longer; she won't be getting any new coordinates for a _long_ freakin' time, _especially_ considering how crappy the management is nowadays.

In that case, the next place to go is... Lastation, right? Might as well be; she doesn't feel like riding a boat and Lowee is way too far.

Lastation it is, then.

Still, there's about a 33% chance that she's gonna meet that CPU there, right? Well, more like 50%, since there's no way those idiots would try to go to Lowee first.

That's a pretty freakin' dangerous number, the girl notes with a scowl.

Hell, why is every single damn thing in her life a gamble with danger...? She's not one of those suicidal "adventuring" morons who just can't seem to get enough of almost dying! Is it too much to ask for a quiet life?!

Letting out a huff of indignation, she turns around, preparing herself to pull off some parkour until the train station, if only to keep her frustration at bay. Still, scarlet eyes can't help but take a last glance at the hospitalized brunette on the other building. She seems to be at the end of the chocolate bar, a content, and very much stupid, smile on her face.

"..."

For the second time, the girl scoffs at the sight.

They're pretty much in the middle of a freakin' war, and that dumb broad can still find it in herself to focus completely on _chocolate_?

She doesn't get it.

As the girl starts walking away, not even reacting to the biting cold which should be attacking mercilessly her gray skin, that's the one thought echoing in her head.

Those selfish idiots who can just ignore all the problems around them at will, as if their own little worlds are more important than anything else...

Those blind morons who keep themselves under the CPUs' absolute rule, not realizing just how worthless they are in their Goddesses' eyes...

Those ignorant dumbasses who think everything is roses and rainbows because they themselves have food and warmth, turning their heads away from those few who don't...

She doesn't get it.

Her feet move faster, and, before she knows it, the girl is leaping from building to building. Yet, even as her body moves without error, even as she gives herself some unnatural boost at the most precise of times, even as her maneuvers are beautiful yet practical enough to make any performer jealous, her mind is somewhere else.

Because she doesn't get it.

This world, where CPUs rule unimpeded, with the power to create wars and end lives without question. This world, where people are powerless, but remain content even as their very existences are dictated by the whims of the powerful few. This world, where the poor and weak are pushed aside as mere "small numbers," as if the suffering of a single good person isn't more than enough reason to change the world.

She doesn't get it.

Linda doesn't get it at all.


	12. A Step Into Regality

_..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _"... Huh?"_

 _Slowly, unsurely, Nepgear scans her surroundings, waving her head at every direction._

 _Black. Darkness. A void._

 _The same unfeeling void as before._

 _And that only confuses the girl._

 _She's... dead? How? The last thing she remembers is boarding the train with Compa just before it began to rain, and then..._

 _Then what?_

 _Her memory just fades after that. Did an assassin catch her by surprise? A repeat of what happened with Nepugia? That's certainly possible._

 _With that in mind, Nepgear takes a step forward. Then, she freezes, looking down at her uncovered feet._

 _Ground. Unlike so many times before, what's beneath her is definitely solid, even though as black as everything else. But why—_

 _"Nep... gear..."_

 _"...?!"_

 _Without a second thought, the girl spins around towards the mature, familiar voice which just sounded. What she sees has her eyes widen in shock._

 _The CPUs, each one bound by uncountable dark cables in positions that are anything but comfortable. Their eyes are open, and yet unfocused, as if staring into nothing._

 _As expected, Neptune is amongst them, looking straight towards her younger sister with those tired, dead eyes._

 _Thoughtlessly, Nepgear takes a step forward—_

 ** _*HISSSS*_**

 _Only for something to push her slightly forward, a familiar sensation._

 _Even more familiar is the reddish pink blade protuding from her stomach._

 _"E-Eh...?" is all the girl manages to say. It doesn't hurt, it never did, and yet..._

 _And yet it means one thing._

 _Slowly, Nepgear glances behind her. Standing there, holding the weapon's handle with both hands, is a dark, almost featureless silhouette, its only notable detail a single glowing yellow circle where a left eye should be._

 _That changes soon after, as a wide smile with the same characteristics appears._ _A moment later, the strange being pulls her scythe out of the girl's body, holding it as if to swing, and yet doing nothing. Where a wound should have been is only creamy white skin, or what looks like skin, as if nothing in the past moments happened at all._

 _"...?"_

 _Dazed, the lilac-haired girl turns around to face the silhouette, waiting for it to do something._

 _After what feels like an eternity, Nepgear, on a whim, takes a step back—_

 ** _yet, even as her mind shouts at her to do something, anything, to help them, her body is frozen in fear_**

 _—and another—_

 _ **it doesn't come as a surprise when, one by one, they fall and remain still**_

 _—and another—_

 _ **a horrible smirk crosses the woman's face as she turns towards Nepgear**_

 _—and another—_

 _ **in her torso is Magic's beam scythe, completely embedded in the girl's body**_

 _—and yet another, panic slowly taking hold of her with every step._

 _This... **thing** is the one responsible for everything. This woman, who stands there doing nothing, is the one who started this nightmare where Nepgear lives._

 _This woman... This woman... This woman..._

 _She takes one more step back._

 _Magic moves one step closer._

 _Shivers attack the Candidate's entire being at the simple action._

 _This woman... This woman... This woman..._

 _The silhouette moves forward yet again, even as Nepgear's legs don't take another step. Then, to the girl's horror, she doesn't stop, moving closer and closer by the second._

 _She has to do something. She has to react. She can't stand and do nothing. If she doesn't do anything, then this woman..._

 _This woman... This thing... This **monster**..._

 _"...!"_

 _Suddenly, something is in Nepgear's right grasp, as if appearing out of nothing. A glance downwards, and the girl sees her pink laser sword._

 _It doesn't make sense. None of this does._

 _The Candidate looks forward._

 ** _Magic is now right before her._**

 _'No... No... No... No...'_

 _She freezes. In that instant, it's as if every single atom of Nepgear's body becomes frozen solid._

 _She'll die. She'll definitely die. All because of this woman..._

 _This woman... This woman. This woman._

 _This woman, this woman, this woman, this woman, this woman, this woman_ _this woman_ _this woman_ _this woman_ _this woman_ _this woman_ _this woman_ _this woman this woman **thiswomanthiswomant**_ ** _hiswoman_ _thiswoman_ _thiswoman_ _thiswoman_ _thiswoman_ _thiswoman_ _thiswoman_ _thiswoman_** _ **thiswoman—**_

 _Nepgear slashes at her._

 _Without resistance, the silhouette is cut apart, spraying all around a gray liquid which stands out amidst the void before shattering like glass all over the invisible floor._

 _The lilac-haired girl blinks, her breathing resuming soon after._

 _A step sounds behind her._

 _"!"_

 _Turning around, Nepgear slashes yet again, only for another silhouette to fall apart much like the last one, dirtying her even further._

 _It makes no sense. Just like everything else, this makes no sense._

 _Unprompted, the Candidate turns around once more, as if on a whim. Ranks upon ranks of those dark, featureless beings are before her, all staring forward lifelessly._

 _The first one dashes at her._

 _Nepgear slashes on instinct, the fake Magic being minced as she goes past, her gray "blood" painting the girl's doll-like body._

 _It was... easy. So easy. Unlike the real thing, dealing with those is so much easier._

 _Another one comes, suffering the same fate._

 _If the so-called Candidate of Planeptune had enough power, it would have been like this. Was she strong enough, Magic would have been defeated._

 _This woman would have been beaten, just like the fake being Nepgear just knocked away the weapon of._

 _This woman would have been destroyed, just like the silhouette Nepgear shattered with a simple punch._

 _This woman would have been **killed** , just like the lifeless doll whose throat Nepgear just pierced effortlessly._

 _Another one of the false Magics advances, being cut apart without issues. This time, however, the Candidate doesn't wait for the next to come, instead diving right into the sea of fakers, obliterating anything in her way._

 _If she had this sort of strength, this would never happen again. Everything would be peaceful. There wouldn't be any wars, any stupid conflicts to tear apart her life._

 _A silhouette loses its legs, falling to the ground before the blade pierces its head. Another one is separated from its arm first, and just a moment later its supposed heart is no_ _more_ _as the sword finds itself where it should be. One by one, these things are broken like the weak toys they are, not even attempting to stand up to the CPU in their midst._

 _And, soon enough, Nepgear catches herself **grinning** at the spectacle._

 ** _This is what Magic deserves. Being hit, cracked, shattered until her life ends, much like the Candidate's own did, all the while unable to do anything about it._**

 ** _That thing thinks it can just waltz in on Nepgear's world and mess everything up? She'll show her._**

 ** _Another fragile toy loses its balance its foot is suddenly not in place anymore, but that wouldn't be fun. In that moment, the lilac-haired girl takes hold of its neck, crushing it until the headless body falls and shatters beneath._**

 ** _When_ _t_ _he Mascots are_ _h_ _ers, the Cand_ _i_ _date will be much more powerful, right? But will it be enough to do thi_ _s_ _?_**

 ** _I_ _f not, then_ _s_ _he'll just have to fi_ _n_ _d a way t_ _o_ _grow_ _t_ _his strong. Even if everyone else_** _t_ ** _ries to stop_** _h_ ** _er out of stup_** _i_ ** _d_ _f_ _e_ _ar, even if_** _s_ ** _he has to burn down Celest_** _i_ ** _a it_** _s_ ** _elf to achieve it, Nepgear_** _W_ ** _ILL g_** _r_ ** _asp this p_** _o_ ** _wer. A_** _n_ ** _d then, finally, she'll make Ma_** _g_ ** _ic suffer ten times as much as she did, unt_** _i_ ** _l the momen_** _t_ ** _that th_** _i_ ** _ng regret_** _s_ ** _bei_** _n_ ** _g born in HER Gamindus_** _t_ ** _ri. If everything goes right, after all of that,_** _M_ ** _agic would pr_** _e_ ** _ferably end her own life rather than making Nepgear go through the effort._**

 ** _That'd be far more amusing than just killing her._**

 ** _After that'_** _s_ ** _done, peace will re_** _t_ ** _urn. With the lilac-haired girl as p_** _o_ ** _werful as that, no one in this world will ever DARE to disru_** _p_ ** _t her life again._**

 ** _A slash, and another copy falls. A powerful punch is enough to shatter the next one, unfortunately stopping the fun before it even began. Out of nowhere, something touches her back, no doubt a toy which has just grown a spine for her to crack. Without a thought, Nepgear spins around, slashing it from the shoulder to the hip—_**

 _"Gkuh!"_

 _"..."_

 _She stops._

 _In that instant, everything stops._

 _Suddenly, a strange lucidity comes over the girl, a simple acknowledgement of her earlier thoughts and actions._

 _Still, that has nothing to do with her current focus._

 _Because, before her, is a certain brunette, clad in her usual outfit with a blue oversized coat. Even more notable, however, is her horribly shocked expression, coupled the red gash across her body oozing an unmistakable red liquid._

 _"... Huh?" is all Nepgear manages to say._

 _A moment later, IF falls on her knees, her side hitting the ground soon after._

 _She should be squirming, grunting, or maybe even shivering on the ground. And yet, none of that happens, the brunette instead remaining still as emerald eyes devoid of life stare into nothing._

 _The Candidate blinks, attempting to understand what happened. Almost subconsciously, her fighting stance undoes itself, the girl standing up straight as her deactivated blade escapes her grasp, going through the "ground" and fading into the nothingness of the abyss._

 _She did this, Nepgear notes as she stares at her friend's fallen form._

 _But it doesn't feel like she did anything. Rather, it feels distant, unreal, as if she is simply watching an obvious development in a game she spent too much time playing. There is no dramatic background song, no world-shattering revelation or anything of the like. Rather, all that is here is a lifeless body, its blood seeping on the floor and phasing through it, slowly dripping into the void._

 _She did this. But what is this?_

 _Simple, she killed IF. In a thoughtless moment, drowning in the frenzy and bliss of the battle, she led the brunette to her death._

 _That's it. That's what Nepgear did. She killed IF._

 _She... killed..._

 _"...!"_

 _In a single instant, everything falls in place. The girl doesn't start shaking, nor does she scream in grief, but that her eyes widen even further, and that her breath hitches in her throat, is enough that, were any bystander in this void, it'd be obvious to them that realization came._

 _No, not a realization. She was already aware of it._

 _She killed IF... Wait, that's wrong. IF is alive. She's back in Planeptune, in the hospital. However,_ _she's there not only for being outright blasé about her well-being, but also because of Nepgear, because she brought about that situation by being a fool, because she, of all people, decided to be act like a ruthless yet foolish **monster**._

 _And she'll do it again. The so-called Planeptunian Candidate will certainly do it again, the first chance she gets. She's not stupid enough to believe she won't, because, back then, the sensation of feeling superior to someone else felt great, incredible, **amazing—**_

 ** _*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*_**

 _"...?"_

 _A pair of feet, as thin and fragile-looking as hers, suddenly enters her vision, stopping right on the other side of the fallen, bleeding brunette._

 _Why? How?_

 _Who?_

 _Slowly, filled with curiosity and dread alike, amethyst eyes raise from IF's form._

 _"?!"_

 _This time, Nepgear actually feels like screaming._

 _Standing before her, a single meter away, is a perfect copy of herself, from the doll-like, featureless body to her long, lilac hair and purple eyes. However, there is a pair of details which the Candidate simply can't associate with herself._

 _First is the copy's expression, blank and unfeeling, much like a corpse's._

 _Second is the familiar scarlet liquid splattered all over her form, covering almost her whole body in random, irregular shapes._

 _Why...? How...?!_

 _Who?!_

 _Thoughtlessly, amidst her shock, Nepgear reaches out for her—_

 _She halts._

 _Hastily, the girl brings her own arm, or the arm she thought was her own, closer, her eyes hastily inspecting it._

 _Why?_

 _It's the same._

 _But why?_

 _Why is her arm as bloodied as this girl's?!_

 ** _"... Heh."_**

 _At the sudden chuckle, Nepgear's eyes once again focus on the fake girl._

 _She's smiling. Smirking. As if she had won and nothing could be done about it._

 _This is insane. This whole thing is. What did she win? What's the meaning of her expression?_

 _Unconsciously, the Candidate takes a step back. The copy follows her, moving a bit closer._ _Little by little, her smirk grows larger, until becoming a full grin._

 _It's then that, amidst her growing panic, Nepgear blinks once, a normal biological action meant to prevent her eyes from going dry, with no underlying emotions attached it._

 _Yet, the fact that, as she opens her eyes, the bloody doll-like being before her is suddenly scared, **terrified** , is anything but normal._

 _"Wha...?!" the Candidate speaks, except it's the other girl whose mouth opens. She takes another step back, except it's the other girl who retreats._

 _And then, suddenly, before she can understand what's happening..._

 _"Her" body lunges—_

* * *

The lilac-haired girl lets out a gasp as she lurches forward, her eyes flying open.

A faker, a copy, a monster, a murderer...

... A dream?

Blinking, Nepgear slowly paces her panicked breathing, taking in her surroundings.

This is... a cabin, right? With four gray walls, a similarly colored roof, a windowed door to her right separating her from the train's hallway and a rectangular window to her left. She's... sitting, yeah, on a black cushioned seat for two, being one of the only two occupants in the cabin for four.

As expected, the second person is a certain nurse sitting right across the Candidate, sleeping soundly with her head leaning against the metallic wall. She fell asleep first, back when... Wait, when it was, again...? Ah, yes, soon after doing her so-called check-up on Nepgear, which was actually more of a quiz... even if that description does no justice to how utterly _trying_ said quiz was.

Having to answer a multitude of questions, some of which were beyond personal, while a peach-haired nurse glares at you to make sure you're not lying isn't exactly a great experience.

At least it's already over...

Moving her eyes towards the window, the Candidate observes the landscape outside. Lush green plains, filled with monsters and the occasional trees, move past as the train makes its way to Lastation, where the next hunt for the Mascot will take place. It's a bit cloudy, but not nearly as bad as it was back in Planeptune, and the morning sun continues to shine from above.

So... just like how the real world should be, Nepgear figures.

Letting out a massive sigh, the girl falls back on her seat, letting her head lean against the metal behind as violet eyes stare upwards. Having a nightmare in the middle of the day... Talk about a unique way to destroy morale, or at least whatever was left of it after Compa's onslaught. To think she was so fired up back in the station...

Still, that dream was definitely way crazier than usual. Maybe she has been reading way too many psychological horror stories?

... Well, nothing she can do about that now.

Doing her best to push those worries to the back of her mind, Nepgear summons to her hands the next chapter of one of the series she began reading just two days ago, Fullmetal Chemist. It's not as if she'll be getting any further sleep before they reach Lastation, so it might as well be reading time. If everything goes well, she may even be able to stop her binging and read an issue or two of MiMi's Crazy Adventure: Fighting Tendency before the trip ends.

That's not very likely, to be honest, but it's a nice thought.

Besides, the girl notes whilst opening the comic, seeing how these kinds of main characters act might serve as a nice reference for later...

After all, if she manages to become even a little bit more like them, then maybe... maybe she'll be able to prevent something like _that_ from happening again. Maybe she'll be able to control herself better, rather than acting like a raving lunatic whenever an opportunity presents itself.

 _'... Like a raving lunatic, huh...'_

Halting her reading for a moment, Nepgear looks out of the window, a distant expression crossing her face as the landscape goes past, bringing her closer and closer to Lastation.

That _thing_ in her dream... That being who looked just like her...

Will she end up exactly like that? A madwoman who cares about nothing but herself, thriving on the sensation of being powerful?

Nepgear would love to say no and leave it at that, but... she's not sure. After all that happened, after fighting Nepugia and the underling girl, she's not sure at all.

And the feeling that such a realization brings is anything but nice...

"..."

Tearing her eyes off the view, the Planeptunian Candidate once again looks down at the comic in her hands, where a story completely different from hers is unfolding.

All these characters, even though fictional... In the end, they're amazing, aren't they? Facing all sorts of hurdles with insane plans, not letting anything stand in the path to their goal, going forward even as their bodies fall apart... It's really incredible, no matter how you look at it.

If only she were like that...

Thus, silently, Nepgear continues to witness another main character's adventure, letting her own disappear in the back of her mind for the time being.

These sort of distractions... They aren't so bad...

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 ***Chapter 9***

 **A Step Into Regality**

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Lastation. The Land of Black Regality. The Heart of Gamindustri. The Kingdom of Corporate Douchebags.

Such are some of the names earned by the nation located in the middle-east of Gamindustri, connected directly to all other nations due to geographical and economic reasons alike. A person going from Planeptune or Leanbox to Lowee and vice versa using the train system, for example, would be forced to pass through this land, simply because building more railroads just to avoid the Black Nation would be a massively impractical waste of resources.

The result, as expected, is a place almost every traveler must pass by, most of which end up buying a souvenir or two before departing, some of which settle down for good amidst the bustling, perpetually interesting cities. Of course, to say that has a positive impact in the nation's economy would be a massive understatement, for its very visage is that of an expensive elegance due to that.

Buildings are sleek, constructed with aesthetic perfection in mind, resulting in a noticeable focus on geometrical forms conjoined seamlessly. The walls and ground are painted in usually dark colors, but not oppressively so, with the occasional light gray arrows formed by lack of paint and patterns drawn in what is usually either light blue or red, allowing creativity to shine through as easily as if the nation's color was much brighter. Streets in the cities are either made of gray metal, the good old concrete or a transparent reinforced alternative when placed above other streets, and to top it off underground levels beneath districts are simply natural.

In the distance, filling the cloudy skyline are incredibly tall buildings of notably sharp shapes which, while nothing to write home about, mostly because home is the Neptower, are nothing to scoff at either, most of them bearing clearly visible trademarked patterns and names. Chimneys and larger shapes can be easily noticed alongside them, even as the former doesn't seem to be expelling anything visible, and the air feels slightly heavier than Planeptune's, although not outright dirty.

What is truly striking in that view, however, is the occasional sighting of one of the many massive dish antennas strewn around, each one a gigantic building of its own. Defense systems, space research, direct communication lines with Netherworlds with convenient orbits, and many more are the purposes of such equipment, which, needless to say, is nothing short of impressive.

Even so, on a smaller scale, things seem to be just as amazing. Crowds and cars are coming and going nonstop, with the occasional cylinder-shaped cleaning robot moving around, is all a familiar sight, but the same can't be said about the sheer number of interesting stores and shops along the metallic street, even as they unsurprisingly look about the same as Planeptune's. Coupled with that is the vast amount of colorful digital billboards covering the walls, much more numerous than their counterparts of the Land of Purple Progress.

And that is simply logical, really. In contrast to Planeptune's focus on research and innovation, this nation instead grows and survives through commerce, manufacturing and exporting just about everything, from simple kitchen utensils to expensive machinery parts, to the rest of Gamindustri. As such, the popular saying that "Lastation only does everything" is quite well earned, as the nation essentially functions as the lifeline of the economy in the continent as we know it.

Thus, it's no wonder that terms like "industrialized" and "precise" can easily be used to describe the capital of such a nation, with "busy" following soon after.

And yet, as Nepgear stands on the edge of the dark metal platform where she disembarked, leaning against the railing and looking down at the metallic street much like the bunch of similarly excited travelers nearby, she can't help but feel that "alive" should also be added to the list, with "incredible" going next.

This place, filled with adverts and businesses everywhere, looks like it's just _brimming_ with possibilities, creating a sense of adventure from the get-go. Even better, there are all sorts of _amazing_ devices and parts that the Candidate can just barely make out and identify inside the stores, many of which she thought about importing before this thing called "extra fee" repeatedly stomped her dreams.

In simpler terms, _all these fancy mechanic thingies make her a happy Nepgear._

 _This is like Celestia made just for her._

Is it heresy that the lilac-haired girl kind of wishes she was a Lastationite Candidate instead?

"C'mon, Ge-Ge! We need to go!"

"Ah!" Broken out of her trance, Nepgear's head snaps to her left, where a certain nurse is just barely visible amidst the crowd, waving impatiently from the first step of the descending metal stairs. "R-Right, coming!" the Candidate shouts back, hurriedly making her way to her only ally.

She really shouldn't space out so constantly, at least not in Compa's full view, _especially_ after that "check-up" of hers. To be honest, the whole thing was kind of amusing at first, but as time went on and the questions got... difficult, the best description of Nepgear's state of mind would be something between "please make her stop," "help me, Neptune" and "if I throw myself off this train, considering a constant speed of about 150 MPH, would the accumulated mechanical energy with which my body hits the ground be enough to kill me instantly?".

In other words, the Candidate wasn't exactly happy with the whole thing.

Seriously, she shouldn't need to share how she performs "stress relief"! There are some things you just _don't_ talk about!

It almost felt like a divine intervention when Nepgear actually managed to convince Compa that the issue really _was_ a simple lack of sleep, just like she said in yesterday's excuse...

Point is, after all that, it just wouldn't do to waste Celestia's blessing and make Compa feel like pulling off something like that once more.

 _... Never again._

Even with the many passersby around, heading to and from the ticket stands further on the platform, it's not much of a chore to run up to her friend, who just lets out a quiet huff and pouts a bit. The effort of descending the crowded stairs, however, certainly makes up for it.

People left, people right, and what should be a simple matter of walking down steps becomes an effort not to fall down and make a commotion. It's not really all that surprising when Compa suddenly latches on Nepgear's arm to avoid being pulled away by the sea of people.

Feeling the similarly tall girl's breasts pushing against her arm would certainly have made the Candidate blush... had she not clear awareness that this is anything but the time to start acting like a prepubescent teenager. That'd be akin to risking losing your bag because you didn't pay attention in a crowd, except this "bag" is a girl about a decade younger than her, developed enough to turn quite a few heads without even trying, and someone who would actually be _happy_ if Nepgear used her like a personal bag of sorts.

The last one doesn't really have much to do with the subject at hand, but Nepgear still feels the need to point it out.

Seriously, Compa's "use me" shtick might be admirable, but that doesn't change how unsettling it still feels to Nepgear whenever she thinks about it.

Shocking, isn't it?

Well, maybe it'd be better if she just stopped dwelling on it altogether...

After a U-turn and what seriously felt like an eternity of walking through a labyrinth, the two girls finally manage to reach the similarly busy yet considerably less troublesome sidewalk. With that, they begin to follow the current, moving along the overly crowded and consequently hot sidewalk without a moment's rest.

"Ah—Ge-Ge?!"

Or they would have. Had the lilac-haired girl not taken a sharp left into a random alleyway the first chance she got, that is, dragging the nurse along by the arm.

"Um, where are we going?" Compa manages to ask from behind Nepgear as they walk fast through the noticeably clean alley, the peach-haired girl quite obviously confused by the sudden change of plans.

"Away from that giant torture chamber," the Candidate answers bluntly as she takes several breaths, wiping her forehead with a sleeve before tugging at her white scarf. "Goodness, that was too much... There might have been a lot of amazing stores in that street, but I'd rather not die stomped and poor after a shopping spree."

And, really, the prospect is more than enough to keep her away from that place, her personal wishlist be damned.

Compared to her past deaths, going like that would be just sad, after all.

Letting out a sigh, after they're a good distance away from the crowded sidewalk, Nepgear finally lets go of the nurse, slowing down her pace to a normal level before speaking. "Going through the sidewalks is just too troublesome the way things are. That ocean of people might open up a few blocks further on, but I'd rather not bet on it."

"So, we're taking a shortcut?"

At that, the lilac-haired girl lets out a chuckle. "Yeah, a longer shortcut. But, hey, at least we won't have to try and survive a thousand people bumping on us." Glancing back at her friend, the Candidate shoots her a smile. "Then again, we might reach the Guild even faster without a crowd. Nothing to slow us down, you know?"

Rather than replying, the peach-haired girl instead blinks at Nepgear for some reason. "Well, you're right, but... Ge-Ge, is there something wrong?"

"... Eh?" Now it's the Candidate's turn to blink quizzically. "Why?"

"Because you're suddenly acting a bit different," Compa answers, tilting her head a bit to the side. "I mean, it's kinda weird..."

"Really?" Nepgear finds herself asking in confusion. "How so? Historie said we should go to the Guild first, so I'm just trying to lead us there."

Really, that's all there is to it. The mission is clear, there are no doubts to be had, and all that's left is for them to reach their goal, so the Candidate is being just like all those leaders she saw in her comics and making sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

How does that translate into "acting weird"...?

"Let's see... How to explain..." The nurse trails off, a pensive expression crossing her face. "Um... I think it's easier to say you're kinda acting like Iffy."

"... Like a party leader?"

"No, like Iffy," Compa repeats. "Like... _Really_ like Iffy. You're even talking sort of like her."

"I'm... just stating facts, though...?" Nepgear raises an eyebrow, feeling more confused by the second. "I mean, the crowds were a problem, so I said so. We might reach the Guild faster like this, so I said so. What's off about that?"

"I-It's not really what you say, but how..." The peach-haired girl trails off, looking away bashfully. "Then again, maybe it's nothing... Maybe it really is because you both act like party leaders..."

"Is that so..." The lilac-haired girl directs her view forward, eyeing the approaching wall and sharp right turn several meters away. "Huh, that's definitely a maybe... Then again, I guess I really might have been contaminated by IF. And here I thought calling her nuclear waste would be too mean."

"T-That was horrible, Ge-Ge!" the nurse replies in an instant, but her unsteady voice makes it clear she held in a laugh just now. "Alright, you might not be copying Iffy, but you really did get some of her."

The Planeptunian Candidate can't help but crack a minuscule smile at that. Even if she wants to deny it with all her soul that she's like the troublesome brunette, the simple fact that she, the self-proclaimed most boring girl in the Neptower, managed to say something remotely amusing is enough proof of that.

Maybe that's what's making her seem "weird" to Compa? It would be a lie to say that Nepgear isn't trying to fill the hole IF left, so maybe the indisposed Guild agent did rub off on her and it's only obvious now, as she's trying to be a leader?

Then again, it could also be the result of reading too many comics right before arriving. She can remember feeling strangely antisocial after seeing stories about characters with that trait, so maybe this is something like that?

... Well, as long as her attitude remains leader-like, the reason doesn't really matter, Nepgear supposes with a shrug.

The real question is whether she can make it last...

Reaching the wall, the lilac-haired girl turns right, intent on continuing on her way to the Guild.

And then, she stops, expression blank as Compa bumps on her side with a quiet yelp.

"Ge-Ge, what's... wrong..." the nurse trails off as she follows the Candidate's empty gaze.

Right there is the exit of the alleyway, leading to another street with no other pathways along the walls.

It just so happens, however, that the sidewalk seems even _more_ crowded than the one in the station, seriously looking like the embodiment of "suicide" to just about anyone who's not a native in this jungle of people.

To be honest, Nepgear sort of expected something like this. The city tells stories through its noise, after all, and Lastation didn't get any less talkative while they were taking the "shortcut." What she didn't really expect, however, was the absolute _lack_ of alternative routes, the alley instead forming a simple L and nothing more.

This is bad. Like, real bad.

"... Ge-Ge?" Compa eventually calls out to her, tilting her head as she gazes into the lilac-haired girl with an expectant look, as if unironically waiting to hear her next amazing plan.

This is also bad. Very, _very_ bad.

Unconsciously, Nepgear gulps, not even turning to look at her friend as a drop of sweat trails down her cheek. Even as she seems at a loss of what to do, the peach-haired girl doesn't seem nearly as worried as the Candidate is under her frozen expression, emitting nothing but the kind of complete trust that would make just about anyone want to hug her.

Nepgear's entire body threatens to squirm under her gaze.

 _It hurts. It hurts so much._

Just like that, the girl's so-called leader-like attitude becomes the first tragic casualty in the hunt for the Lastationite Mascot.

What to do, what to do, oh goodness, what to do...?!

"A-Ah!" Nepgear suddenly jumps in her spot, as if surprised by something. Hastily, she grabs her N-Gear from its holster and brings it to her face. "Looks like Nepugia is calling! Goodness, I completely forgot to tell her we're not in Planeptune anymore!" Her head snaps towards the clearly bewildered nurse, the lilac-haired girl forcing a smile upon her face. "She probably just wants to arrange a shopping trip or something! Wait here for a moment, I'll have to explain some stuff to her!"

With that, the Candidate hurries deeper into the alley, hurrying and dodging right into a pathway several meters away which the nurse remembers as leading to nothing but a large trash container.

Still in her spot, Compa blinks.

"Eh?"

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Boredom.

That'd be a nice way to describe what IF is feeling at the moment.

As she waits for her gaming phone to recharge, staring at the white ceiling as the rainstorm's noise sounds nonstop, she can't feel anything but boredom in her mind.

Honestly, when you start to count how many windows the buildings afar have, you know you're in a bad state.

"Hey, Ms. Maid," the brunette begins, glancing at the girl seated on the stool next to the bed. "Entertain me."

"H-Huh?!" As expected, the said girl jumps in place at the sudden order, her blonde twintails waving slightly at the motion as her pair of violet eyes widen noticeably. "Erm, um, r-really?"

"Yeah, c'mon," IF insists impatiently. "Didn't Histoire send you to keep me from feeling bored? Do your job, please. Anything works."

"Um, I-I'm pretty sure she told me to keep you from doing something dumb instead..." With mannerisms far too reminiscent of Nepgear's, the blonde looks away bashfully, alternating between playing with the hems of her purple maid outfit's short skirt and her hair, the latter notably adorned by a violet headband rather than a headdress, a similarly-colored dogoo hairpiece holding her right bangs in place, and a pair of purple hair ties featuring two of the same violet dogoo each. "B-Besides, are you sure? I mean, I'm pretty boring..."

 _'Oh, for the love of—Is she really Gear?!'_

"Just... Just say the first amusing thing that comes to mind," the brunette sighs, rolling her eyes. "Again, anything works."

"A-Alright then..." Taking a deep breath, the maid finally manages to look straight at IF, even as as scarlet embarrassment covers her cheeks. "W-Why did the dogoo cross the street?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... On second thought, you're pretty bad at this."

"Y-Yes..." The blonde seems to visibly deflate at that. "I told you, I'm not interesting at all..."

It's honestly a miracle that the Guild member doesn't let out a big sigh just then. _'Not with that attitude, you're not.'_

Well, back to square one, she supposes. Maybe she could just download some games in another phone... Then again, that'd pretty much mess up their designations, wouldn't it? How troublesome...

 ***Bzzzt* *Bzzzt* *Bzzzt***

"Hm?" At the sudden noise, both girls towards the bedstand next to the brunette. On it, next to the small white vase filled with pink daisies and the empty plate which once held snacks, are all her phones, including the gaming-related magenta one connected to its charger on the wall's plug nearby.

Incidentally, her green phone is currently vibrating.

"Ah, I'll get it!" the maid declares before grabbing the device, handing it to IF with a... strangely proud smile.

Muttering her thanks, the brunette takes the phone, flipping it open.

A moment later, she raises an eyebrow.

"... Nepgear?" IF mutters to herself, looking at the name displayed on the screen. This is weird, why would she be calling so soon...?

Do those two really miss her so much?

At the thought, a chuckle slips past her lips. Why, isn't that flattering?

Without further ado, the brunette presses to answer the call and brings it to her ear. "Hey, what's u—"

 _"HELP! ME!"_

"WHOA!"

Startled, IF pretty much _jolts_ , the device instantly flying from her hands and towards the maid. In a moment of panic, the blonde tries to grab it, her hands even managing to touch the phone, only for her to fumble it as the green device refuses to stay in her hold. Half a second later, she catches it, hugging it close to her decently-sized chest—

"Ah!"

—before promptly losing her balance and falling on the purple carpet behind her with an audible "squish."

"..."

"..."

The brunette blinks, staring at the fallen girl, all the while stunned violet eyes gaze back at her, wondering what just happened.

She can't really fault her for that.

"..."

"..."

"... Is my phone alright?"

"T-That's what you're worried about?!"

"Hey, it's not like you'd break from that fall," IF explains matter-of-factly, waving her hand dismissively. "Even if you did, we're already at a hospital, right?"

"Horrible!" the blonde almost screeches as she sits up, shooting a teary-eyed disbelieving look at the brunette. "Y-You're so horrible, Lady IF!"

As strange as it might sound, that alone elicits a smile from the Guild agent.

 _'Look who's starting to get interesting...'_

 ***Bzzzt* *Bzzzt* *Bzzzt***

Just like that, IF's expression fades away.

Slowly, she turns towards the bedstand once again, staring blankly at what is there.

This time, it's her sky blue device which is buzzing.

"..."

Grabbing it by herself, the girl doesn't even waste time identifying the caller before flipping it open and answering the call.

 _"I figured you dropped the other phone."_

"... How thoughtful of you," comes IF's dry response. "Be careful next time. You shouting like a gorilla on fire startled Poya."

"It's Puyo!" the maid insists with a pout her as she raises from the floor.

 _"Poya?"_

"It's Puyo!" she repeats in the same tone, placing the green flip phone on the bedstand before sitting back on the stool.

"Yeah, some maid Histoire sent to keep me from indirectly killing myself. Y'know, the usual stuff," the brunette says with a shrug. "Let's not talk about Payo, though—" "It's Puyo!" "—what's wrong?"

 _"W-We're in an alley, surrounded!"_

At those simple words, IF's blood turns into ice. Even the blonde's eyes widen, and for a good reason. "You're _what_?!"

 _"There are crowds everywhere blocking the exits! Lastation is way too busy! Compa thinks I have a plan, but I don't, but she's still looking at me with those trusting eyes and I can't tell her I don't know what I'm doing anymore! Help!"_

"... Right," the brunette sighs, trying to pace her beating heart as the girl next to her seems to do the same. _'Dammit, Gear...'_ "Okay... So, you're calling me to complain about life, then?"

 _"N-No! I just don't know what to do! I-I thought you might have any idea!"_

"On how to go through _crowds_?" The Guild agent asks incredulously. Who does this girl think she is, Doreamon?! "What do you expect me to say, 'run through the roofs' or something—"

 _"Ah, that's it! Thanks, IF! I won't think of you as nuclear waste anymore!"_ ***Click***

With that, the call ends abruptly leaving only a bewildered brunette and maid in the hospital room.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Wait, what?"

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Three seconds. Two seconds. One second.

Doing her best to time it just right, the girl jumps off from the edge of the building, her dark cloak and similarly covered scarf blowing with the air's resistance as her feet hit another dark roof a few meters away. Without stopping in the slightest, counting down once more, she pulls it off again, and again, and again, growing more and more accustomed to the movements with each jump.

This really _is_ much better than moving through the crowds, Nepgear muses as she continues to go from roof to roof, surrounded by the noises of the city below as she slowly approaches the immense, dome-like, circular, far-more-fancy-than-a-Guild-should-probably-be black building with a flat roof in the distance, adorned by windows all around its sides.

Granted, she can't really jump over streets, at least not without transforming and giving away who she is, but it's not that difficult to find alleys to jump over or catwalks to run through.

Seriously, though, should doing this sort of thing really feel so easy?

"G-Ge-Ge, this is too muuuuuuch!" a familiar voice shouts in panic just as yet another alley is crossed. Glancing down for a moment, Nepgear notes that the peach-haired girl in her arms, covered by a cloak much like her own, seems anything but calm if her panicked stare is anything to go by. "You don't know what you're doing! W-We're going to fall! We'll fall and get hit by a car! We really, really will!"

"... Goodness, that wasn't very nice, Compa," Nepgear replies, looking down at the nurse. "I know what I'm doing, we're not going to—AH!"

Just then, the girl's right foot is caught by a sudden elevation right at the edge of the roof, sending her tumbling down into an alleyway with a screaming nurse in her arms. Thinking fast, just as her body rotates in the air, the Candidate kicks against a window's sill, propelling herself towards the street to her left, where a large truck is currently being halted by the heavy traffic.

Her boots hit the top of its white wagon with a pair of loud "clangs," but rather than stopping right there, Nepgear proceeds to run up the vehicle's length, jumping towards the nearby catwalk's metallic cover just as she reaches the edge. The landing goes well enough, despite some light soreness in the lilac-haired girl's knees, and she doesn't waste time in running up to the top of the metallic construct, hopping right back to a building's roof soon after, all the while the truck's horns sound from behind her.

Maybe the driver wasn't exactly happy with her feat?

"There!" Nepgear declares, letting out a sigh of relief before glancing at Compa. "See, we'll be fine—"

"L-Let me g-go..." the peach-haired girl outright begs, her eyes wide and watery as her hands grasp the Candidate's cloak a bit too hard. "P-P-Please..."

"... Right."

Coming to a halt, she does as Compa says, carefully putting the girl down in a crouch, fully expecting a reprimand to come soon after.

Rather than that, however, the peach-haired girl immediately huddles on the roof, trembling with a noticeably hasty breathing, much to Nepgear's bewilderment.

 _'M-Maybe I went a bit too far?'_

"T-This is t-too much f-for my l-little heart, Ge-Ge..." the nurse confirms her suspicions a moment later, shakily turning to look at the Candidate with wide eyes and a somewhat sickly-looking face. "C-Can't we just t-take a b-bus or s-something?"

"Um..." At that, the Candidate scratches her cheek in embarrassment, looking away. "I-I'm pretty sure we'd take at least a few hours to get there with this transit..."

"S-So we'll have to go like this anyway..." Letting out a sound that is anything but happy, Compa slowly raises from the roof, disappointment obvious in her dizzied features. "I'll just follow Ge-Ge with my own pair of legs, then... That'll probably be a tiny bit better..."

Nepgear can't help but feel a light stab at those words, her expression twitching ever so slightly. She knows the nurse doesn't mean anything bad by it, but still...

Forcing her pain to the depths of her mind and a smile to her face, the Candidate then turns towards the catwalk's roof to her left. "Alright, then. We'll have to cross that first, meaning you'll have some time to get used to it before we start the jumping. Ready?"

"Ugh..." is all Compa replies with, sounding like she'd rather throw herself on the crowded sidewalks than do this.

... Well, it's not like Nepgear will be getting a better response any time soon, she supposes.

Without waiting any further, the lilac-haired girl begins to run, jumping on the catwalk's cover just as the nurse's footsteps sound from behind her. At the very least, it should be much easier to move like this, which means reaching the Guild will be a considerably faster process.

Just then, a yelp sounds, followed by the noise of something hitting metal as the surface beneath her feet trembles noticeably. Coming to a stop, the Planeptunian Candidate slowly turns around, already knowing what to expect.

There, just a few meters away, is the peach-haired nurse, fallen face first on the metallic catwalk's roof and letting out what can only be described as sad Compa noises.

"..."

 _'Did she just trip on nothing...?'_

Letting out a big sigh, Nepgear runs a hand along her hair under the hood, already feeling some exasperation building up in her mind.

That's right, they'll definitely reach the Guild faster like this.

... If the nurse manages to survive, that is.

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Finally.

As the Candidate, almost out of breath by this point, stands before the Guild installation's main corridor, its surfaces a pure black and its walls adorned symmetrically with several pathways leading to the many rooms of the building, that is the one thought which crosses her mind.

"F... Finally..."

And also her friend's, apparently.

Glancing at the person in question, Nepgear would certainly have let out a sigh had she not been heaving for air. Compa, although obviously not nearly as tired as her, has been holding onto her arm and standing precariously from the moment they reached the ground, looking about sickly and dizzy enough to fall on the black carpet the instant she loses support.

Seriously, wasn't Compa supposed to be far better at this than Nepgear? She has had far more physical training than the recently released Candidate, no?

... Is she just afraid of heights?

"Come on... Ge-Ge," the nurse manages to mutter, looking at the lilac-haired girl. "We need to... get some... information..."

"..."

Nepgear raises an eyebrow, staring at her friend with something between bewilderment and worry.

That _really_ didn't sound very convincing right now.

"Just keep a hold on me, alright?" the Candidate tells her as she finally begins to walk, slowly dragging Compa along. "There might be a carpet down there, but I don't think it'd feel very nice to fall on it."

"Hm..." is all the nurse replies with, her hold on Nepgear tightening a bit.

As expected, a few heads turn towards them as they move towards the nearest pathway, no doubt wondering why there's a dying girl in a Guild, but it's not as if they're numerous enough to make Nepgear flinch out of embarrassment. To be honest, they're not numerous enough for anything; although the building itself is immense, there are only a few parties wandering around the corridors, a sight which should only be usual in times of peace.

Needless to say, having terrorists waging war against Gamindustri isn't exactly the textbook definition of "peaceful."

"I-I think I heard about this once..." Compa begins, looking slightly less worse for wear. "It looks like ASIC focused more on corrupting Lastation... The monsters aren't really all that easy to beat up anymore, so a lot of people went to Planeptune..."

Nepgear just hums in understanding, even as dread grows in her mind.

So, the monsters here are also violent plus undoubtedly stronger than those back then. Furthermore, she was almost killed by a bunch of Planeptunian dogoos, something that wasn't even supposed to be _possible_. Granted, had the lilac-haired girl not been a panicked mess, she'd probably have been able to break free with a skill or HDD, but the point still stands.

This isn't good news.

 _'What a surprise, turns out this will be harder than I thought... What the goodness.'_

As if to reaffirm the reality of the situation, the room the two girls enter, although mostly identical to the one back in the other Guild, with holographic collumns displaying notices and screens on the walls filled with news, looks far more empty than it should be. In fact, there are only about fifteen adventurers scattered about, conversing between each other, talking to one of the receptionists in formal wear behind the metallic counter nearby, or just messing around on a device that seems like a darker and sleeker version of the N-Gear.

It's not exactly the most inspiring sight.

"Hm? Are the terminals broken?" Compa suddenly speaks, prompting Nepgear to look towards the wall where the machines were back in Planeptune. True to the nurse's words, they seem out of power, with a notice apologizing for the lack of service slapped over their screens.

Rather than broken, she'd wager it's some sort of network issue, if only because having them all break at once sounds pretty unlikely. Still, that doesn't change one little thing...

"... It looks like we'll need to talk to the receptionists for everything," the lilac-haired girl points out with a sigh. She can't help but dread the prospect; if these workers are anything like all the customer service personnel Nepgear has ever interacted with, they'll be here for the whole year. "Say, Compa, do you feel well enough to go get some information from one receptionists, while I check the quests? Just to make things faster."

"Um..." At the suggestion, the nurse seems a bit unsure. Still, that doesn't stop her from nodding, neither from forming a small yet genuine smile, letting go of Nepgear and wobblying a bit before gaining some balance. "Alright, I'll be back in a jiffy. If you feel like accepting a quest, please don't take anything too hard."

"Alright, alright," the Candidate responds dismissively, waving a hand in the air. A second later, she freezes, bringing the hand back down as a blush covers her face.

That... That felt _way too much_ like IF...

Compa seems to have noticed too, if the way she giggles before turning towards the conter and heading off means anything. Alright, it's official, the brunette _did_ infect her.

Amazing.

Nepgear lets out a big sigh at the thought. IF would certainly see this as a victory of some sort, wouldn't she?

How troublesome.

Still, nothing she can do about it at this point, she supposes.

Thus, mentally preparing herself to speak with another human being who isn't accustomed to her weirdness, the Planeptunian Candidate takes off towards one of the receptionists—

"Hm? What is a kid like you doing here?"

Just like that, Nepgear stops.

That high, noticeably haughty voice just now, which just called her a kid... It _definitely_ didn't sound any older than her. As a matter of fact, it sounded _younger_.

"Hey, are you ignoring me? I'm serious, taking quests here is dangerous, you know?"

Filled with curiosity, the lilac-haired girl turns around, towards the source of those somewhat annoying words.

What she sees... isn't exactly unexpected. It is, however, rather curious.

"... What is it?" the shorter girl asks, narrowing her scarlet eyes. Not a moment later, she crosses her thin, creamy white arms, mostly covered by fancy fingerless black arm gloves, before letting out a huff, the movement making both her messy black twintails, her distinctive black dress, and the rectangular handheld case hanging on her gray belt-like accessory wave a bit. "I don't exactly enjoy having other people trying to drill holes in me with their stares."

A young girl. Most certainly, this ravenette is a young girl.

Still, there's a certain something about her, Nepgear notes as her own eyes narrow ever so slightly. Something which she, who has had to endure the likes of IF until recently, can spot with such accuracy, such certainty, that it leaves almost no room for doubts, even in a naturally weak-willed and uncertain mind such as hers.

This girl, who has been saying all sorts of things, always with the kind of self-important tone you'd only hear from a spoiled princess...

"Just saying, ogling someone you just met isn't very good manners, as you should be aware."

 _... She's very, **very** annoying._

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 _ **So... I'm late.**_

 _ **Honestly, there's not much I can say about that. Like, at all. Life was difficult, my free time was filled, I lost sense of time, whatever.**_

 _ **A lot happened. I'll leave it at that.**_

 _ **In any case, this was most certainly a thing. A thing which proved IF still has plenty of screentime points to use up. And that Ge-Ge can have some weird dreams.**_

 _ **Even in a story, a dream is a dream; in other words, it doesn't really need to have a highly precise and coherent meaning. Still, I wonder what that was about~?**_

 _ **Furthermore, here's everyone's Best Girl, Uni! What will be her role in this story? Find out, someday, hopefully soon!**_

 _ **... Please ignore how I'm clearly trying to make everyone forget that they waited three weeks for such a boring thing.**_

 _ **Anyway, this is it. I mean, it's not like this chapter had anything special for me to spend several paragraphs talking about.**_

 _ **Thus, I shall be going now. Time to write my next delusion!**_

 _ **Preferably faster this time.**_

 _ **See y'all later, and don't forget to review!**_

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A thunderstorm.

Without a doubt, that is the one way to describe the scenery in Planeptune as water falls nonstop, with only the loud clapping from the heavens sounding above it.

The horizon is faded, obscured by a hazy fog which only leaves imperfect shapes on the other side. With that, a cloak of darkness covers the entire nation, calming to some, unsettling to others.

As Histoire watches such a scene through the glass wall of her office, comfortably seated on her black wooden chair turned away from the desk, she can't help but feel that she's part of the latter group. After all, what benefits can such a thing bring, at least to their quest? Delays, impediments and the like are all the fairy can see in the future, even if only for the worst case scenario.

Still, everything depends on one simple thing.

"Is it also raining in Lastation, I wonder...?"

 _"I can assure you it isn't,"_ a female yet boyish voice sounds from inside the blonde herself, just another benefit of being an artificial being. _"It certainly is cloudy, but I doubt it will hinder anything, at least if your calculations are correct. She has already parted to the Guild, after all."_

"I do hope your lack of worry is warranted." Histoire lets out a sigh, what-ifs, what-ifs and more what-ifs coming to her mind. "For everything to fail at this point would be far beyond unfortunate."

 _"... My lack of worry can easily be connected to my lack of interest,_ _however,"_ the voice notes nonchalantly. _"How can you put so much faith in an uncertain outcome? Relying on luck leads nowhere, as I am certain you know. As there is no necessity for secrets at this point, would it not be more appropriate to do this formally?"_

The fairy can't help but let out a quiet laugh, her eyes still to looking over the landscape. "You would be correct... were it not for those girls' current less than sociable personality. I'm afraid that such a thing only cause an argument, something wholly unnecessary in our current situation. It would be better for the situation to develop naturally."

 _"Still, a meeting may not even occur,"_ the person on the other side adds matter-of-factly. _"What will you do in that case?"_

"Then I am afraid we shall have to do this your way," comes Histoire's serene reply a moment later. "Still, I doubt that will happen, at least if our timing was correct. As a matter of fact, they may have already met; for beings such as them, simply being in the same building should be enough for their subconscious to note each other's existence. Probability indicates that we shall not need to proceed with your... idea."

 _"..._ _Is it truly necessary for you to speak of my suggestion in such a dismissive tone?"_

"I believe you already know my answer," the fairy shoots back, the smallest hint of smugness in her voice.

 _"No offense, but I honestly hope with all my soul that your plan fails spectacularly."_

Histoire can only let out a chuckle at the other person's serious, business-like tone, even as her words are anything but. "We shall see."

 _"Those are strangely confident words for someone who called me only to voice her worries."_ The fairy winces at that argument, even if it's completely truthful. _"Even so, I believe you have a point."_

The blonde's smile widens ever so slightly. "Of course—"

 _"Which only makes me wonder all the more about the point of such a call."_

Histoire's everything falters at those words. "W-Well..."

 _"In any case, I believe I should return to my work now,"_ the voice suddenly says. _"Dealing with worried fairies is not exactly in my schedule, you see."_

It's not exactly surprising that the fairy's eyes narrow ever so slightly. "Very well. In that case, I hope you miscount and fill several documents incorrectly."

 _"I hope your tubulation leaks and water drops on your desk."_

"I hope your keyboard ceases to work whilst you are typing without looking."

 _"I hope you forget how your documents are arranged."_

"I hope you thoughtlessly wave an arm to the side and sweep all your paperwork off your desk."

 _"I hope your pen malfunctions and leaks all its paint as you write, rendering all your recent work useless."_

"..." At that, Histoire has to pause for a moment, a startled expression all over her features. Slowly, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, only revealing her blue orbs to the wolrd once more after several seconds. "... That was not very nice."

 _"Funny, I thought we were not attempting to be 'nice',"_ the voice notes with a chuckle. _"With that out of the way, I shall be off. Do take care that my prediction doesn't come true."_

And, with that, the other person simply hangs up without even waiting for a reply, something which would be rather rude to do to a stranger or acquaintance.

Well, that isn't the case at the moment, but still.

Letting out a sigh, the fairy takes her eyes off the rainstorm and will her chair to rotate, the object doing so without any obvious external forces. With that action taken, she finds herself facing piles upon piles of paperwork, a tiring yet necessary job of hers as the Oracle of Planeptune.

It's also a nice way of taking her mind off of certain matters, of course.

Absent-mindedly, she takes in hand a blue pen which was lying near the renovation-related documents.

"..."

A moment later, Histoire throws it into the trash can under the desk, opening her drawer and taking out a newer pen before closing it.

No need to tempt fate.

And, with that, she begins her work, reading and scribbling on document upon document in the sort of uneven, broken rhythm only an office worker knows and can tolerate to an extent.

It's not as if she can do much about it, however.

Such is the life of the current most important person residing in Planeptune.

...

...

...

"Ah."

Suddenly, the fairy stops, her eyes widening ever so slightly in realization.

She completely forgot to tell Nepgear about _that_.

"... Oh, well."

Silently, Histoire returns to her job, signing and signing without a moment of rest.

Honestly, at this point, what would sharing that information with the Candidate even do?

Besides, the fairy realizes as a minuscule smile comes...

 _'Perhaps it shall add some more authenticity to this farce of mine.'_


	13. As Well As Expected

Silent.

Completely and utterly silent.

As Nepgear stares into the shorter girl's narrowed scarlet eyes, that single word, that simple term, is enough to describe... absolutely nothing about this situation. Really, even in this room, she can hear the chatter from the hallway; it's like those people just don't know how to keep their voices down to save their lives!

Still, "silent" _can_ , as a matter of fact, describe rather well the Candidate's current state. The reason for such is quite obvious.

"... Hey, did you seriously pass out on your feet?" the mysterious, _annoying_ ravenette speaks up, leaning a bit closer. "Does your brain even work properly? You've been staring at me for _five_ _minutes_ now."

Actually ten seconds, but this girl seems to enjoy hyperboles quite a bit.

And, as Nepgear's face twists even further in frustration, as her mouth twitches with the desire to just tell this person off, she realizes one simple thing.

Hyperboles make this person sound even _more_ annoying.

 _'No, I can't lose control now...'_

Trying to rearrange her thoughts, the lilac-haired girl takes a deep breath, thinking of all the nice moments in her life. Forcing a smile upon her face, she stares straight into scarlet orbs, who continue to glare at her in such a self-entitled way that it's nearly unbearable.

She only needs to conduct a civil conversation here, perhaps by asking for this person's motive to approach her like this. This doesn't need to become a fight; all she has to do is say something in a clear, concise and most certainly not antagonistic way. That's it. No snark, no insults, just a simple message meant to further their interaction with no ulterior motives.

Here she goes. Opening her mouth. This can't go wrong.

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering why a lost little girl is pestering me."

This just went wrong.

 _'Dang it all to heck, Nepgear!'_

As expected, the effect is instantaneous, the ravenette clearly taken aback if her utterly flabbergasted expression, wide eyes and slack jaw included, is anything to go by. She recovers soon enough, however, strengthening her glare as if trying to burn the Candidate with her mind.

Not a good sign, by the way.

"L-Lost little— I'm just trying to help you, moron!" the girl nearly screeches with a red face, attracting quite a few looks from nearby. "The monsters here aren't a walk in the park, if you don't know! Playing the adventurer because you got bored one day is just going to get you killed!" With those words, the ravenette lets out a huff, her glare morphing into a calmer yet clearly condescending look. "Seriously, just go back home to your parents and let the adults work. Compared to actual Hunters, I bet someone as young as you would just be useless in a fight anyway."

Useless.

 _Useless._

 ** _Useless._**

At that, the Candidate's expression twitches, her eyes narrowing soon after. Not a moment later, she calms down, taking a deep breath as her mind analyzes what she just heard.

... Okay.

Nepgear _does_ regret calling this person a lost little girl. She also _knows_ that she's useless to an extent, as very recent events prove.

But actually being _labeled_ that, and by a person who doesn't even know her in the first place?

Considering her low self-esteem, this might not make sense, and the Planeptunian Candidate is pretty sure it doesn't...

However, that felt very, _very_ , _**very** _ annoying. Far beyond what her patience can take, even.

She's _not_ going to regret anything that comes out of her mouth from here on out.

Which is why the lilac-haired girl doesn't hesitate to let out a mocking laugh, shooting a disbelieving gaze at the shorter ravenette. "Funny, you look about as young as me," she says, with an edge which would have never escaped her lips three years ago. "What, do you feel like an adult belittling me? Is that it? Because, really, that says a lot about you."

"I'm _different_ ," the other girl replies instantly, her exasperated gaze growing in intensity. "Unlike a kid like you, I'm actually very strong, you know?"

"Goodness, isn't that convenient?!" Nepgear dang near shouts back, folding her arms as she continues to glare at the annoying girl who seems to love assuming things. "So you're a great, amazing prodigy, right? I'm sorry, should I be kneeling now? Thanking your highness for wasting her time speaking to a commoner like me?"

"Now you're just putting words in my mouth!" the ravenette snaps back, her hands balling into fists. "I'm telling you it's dangerous to take quests here!"

"And I'm telling you I know what I'm doing!" the Candidate finds herself speaking before her mind can catch up. "Excuse me if I'm not in the mood to sit back and listen to some girl I never met before call me a useless adventurer wannabe!"

"I didn't say that!"

"Except you pretty much did!" Nepgear shouts, her glare becoming even stronger. "Not even a minute ago, actually! Does your brain even work properly?! Because I'm sure there's something wrong with you, _lost little girl_!"

"Why, you..." At this point, the ravenette is quite obviously gritting her teeth, her fists, and entire body to a lesser extent, trembling in an effort not to punch the lilac-haired girl.

As horrible as it sounds, for just a single instant, Nepgear sort of hopes this person actually attacks her, just so she can hit back.

Said hopes are completely dashed the moment the girl suddenly forces herself to take a deep breath, exhaling it all just as her entire forms stops shaking in anger.

"... Alright," she begins, narrowed scarlet orbs focusing on similar yet differently colored eyes. "I believe our interaction has been less than optimal to this point."

What a nice way to say "we almost started a fistfight in the middle of the Guild."

At the thought, Nepgear finds herself huffing. "Well, maybe if you learned how to be more sociable..."

"Maybe if you learned how to keep your emotions in check," the ravenette retorts.

The Candidate's mouth twitches at the girl's return to being condescending. "You started it."

"What a juvenile argument."

"Says the girl who decided to take out her stress on some random stranger."

"I didn't—" The ravenette begins, only to suddenly cut herself off for some reason, looking away in what could be perceived as shame... if only her angry face wasn't still there. "... Whatever."

"Now who's being juvenile—"

" _What. Ever._ " The shorter girl finally looks back at her, impatience obvious in her gaze. "Look, do you want to actually hold a civil conversation or not?"

... She does sort of have a point, Nepgear begrudgingly admits. Even if its presentation was rather infuriating.

As such, the Planeptunian Candidate lowers her arms to her sides and forces herself to let out a big, long sigh, as if exhaling all her anger at once.

It's then that she realizes.

That just now... was bad. Really bad.

She seriously lost control there, and it doesn't take a genius to see how that's bad news for the lilac-haired girl's state of mind.

Honestly, Nepgear knows that her emotions are pretty unstable nowadays, but is it really to the extent of starting a shouting competition with anyone who looks at her in the wrong way? To say that Histoire wouldn't exactly be happy with her attitude would be a pretty big understatement.

As a matter of fact, now that she thinks about it, there had to be a way to defuse the situation that didn't include screaming back. Perhaps she could have just shamed this person for being disrespectful to a stranger until she became sociable—

It's then that the Candidate stops, eyes widening ever so slightly.

 _'What the goodness was that thought just now?'_

Before Nepgear can delve into the scary implications of what went on in her mind not even an instant ago, however, it hits her.

She's in the middle of a conversation.

"Alright, what do you want?" the lilac-haired girl asks quite brusquely, trying to ignore her mind's shouts about how something is wrong with her. That's right, it wouldn't do to space out during an interaction, _especially_ with someone as annoying as this person who continues to stare impatiently at her. "And I swear, if you keep treating me like I've never held a sword in my life..."

"It's nothing like that," the ravenette dismisses the idea with a shake of her head, letting a minuscule smile cross her lips. "Rather, how about we start from the beginning? I'm Uni. Sharpshooter, freelance adventurer," she smirks, "also got a pretty big list of achievements if you feel like looking it up."

How modest.

"... I'm Nepgear," the Planeptunian Candidate replies curtly, trying to keep her frown from deepening. "Close-range fighter with support skills. Excuse me if I don't have any golden stars to show off, but I'm not really interested achievements for almost dying," she repeats a particularly nice line from a comic she read earlier, a bit to sound cool, mostly because it fits.

Because, honestly, when you're an adventurer, what can something like "slayed a giant five-headed dragon single-handedly" mean, other than "failed at committing suicide"?

"Oh?" At those words, this Uni person seems strangely amused, clearly under the impression the line was original. That's... somewhat disappointing, to tell the truth. "Well, isn't that an interesting way to look at it? I'm actually surprised, I thought you were just another muscle-head." She gives the lilac-haired girl a teasing smile, one which doesn't do much to make Nepgear like her more. "Still, I stand by my argument that you shouldn't just go questing in Lastation without preparation."

"I do see what you mean," _'Unfortunately,'_ the Candidate adds in her mind as she folds her arms, keeping up her cool act, "but I'm not a position to back off at this point. And this isn't about my emotions, there's literally something very important I have to do."

Like saving Gamindustri from darkness, for one.

"Ah, don't worry, I already thought it was something like that," Uni reveals in an unnecessarily smug tone, bringing a hand to her hip, "which is why I decided to graciously offer my help—" "No thanks." "—in order to make sure you don't bite off more... than..."

The ravenette stops.

Blinking, her expression slowly dissolves into confusion as she looks up at the slightly taller girl.

And then, a single sound escapes her lips.

"... Eh?"

"Um, no thanks," Nepgear repeats, scratching her cheek as her eyes slowly wander away from the ravenette. "I mean, I already have a party, you see, and—"

"A-Are you saying I'd hold you back?" Uni speaks up in a hesitant, stunned voice, moving a step closer as her shocked eyes remain trained on the lilac-haired girl. "Is that it?"

"Ah... No, it's just..." Turning her head away from the shorter girl, Nepgear lets out an awkward laugh. Might as well confess, she supposes. "... Well, yeah. I think you're too annoying and self-centered to work together."

And there we have it, yet another instance of the Planeptunian Candidate's amazingly inept social skills.

On the bright side, at least this should make this person go away—

Wait, why are there a pair of hands grasping her scarf? Why is she being pulled a little bit down?

 _Why can she feel someone's breathing on her turned cheek?_

"Annoying?! S-S-Self— You don't even know me!" Uni protests from just centimeters away, sounding more panicked than mad at this point. "I'm a good Hunter, you know?! I'm Rank A by now! Hey, stop averting your gaze like I'm someone you don't want to get involved with!"

 _'But you really **are** someone I don't want to get involved with...'_

Honestly, what's with this girl? A few insults and she goes mad?

... The lilac-haired girl might not be one to talk, but does she have some serious self-esteem issues?

"Uni..." Nepgear begins, slowly turning her blank look and nervous smile towards the considerably upset girl in question. "I-I'm sure you're an amazing woman, but, well... I'm not saying it's you, it's just... Actually, no, it _is_ you, but..."

"Y-You..." If the ravenette was agitated before, now she looks absolutely _livid_. "Stop sounding like you're trying to break up with a clingy person!"

 _'But you really **are** being way too __clingy right now...!'_

"Um..."

Suddenly, both girls freeze.

Slowly, they turn towards the source of the sound.

There, looking at the pair with an awkward smile, is a certain nurse, holding a bunch of papers in her hands, no doubt all the information she could get for them to read later.

A quick look around reveals she's not the only one staring, however. Instead, pretty much every single living being is shooting them similar looks.

"... Ah."

Hastily, a red-faced Uni unlatches herself from Nepgear, straightening her dress before letting out an embarrassed cough in her hand. That leaves the now blushing lilac-haired girl to try and fix her disheveled dress and scarf alike, doing her best to ignore all the stares.

Well, this is a nice way to develop stage fright.

"Who is your friend, Ge-Ge?" Compa asks after a while, her voice carrying a noticeable amount of embarrassment.

No surprises there.

In any case, this is actually a good thing, Nepgear notes despite her embarrassment. Now that her only other party member is here, she can freely make use of the "walk away with a friend to avoid further contact with a stranger" technique!

The wonders of being an introverted mess!

With that plan set in her mind, the Candidate shoots a bashful, only half-forced smile at the nurse. "Actually, she's just—" "Your party's newest temporary member!"

Nepgear stops dead in her tracks.

Slowly, her now defunct smile still in place, she turns towards the ravenette before her, who now bears an overly proud composure—hands on waist, smug smile and all—despite her fading blush.

Alright. That's it.

This Uni person?

Her official title is now "annoying girl."

"E-Excuse you?" the Candidate begins with a glare. Inwardly, she notes that this is probably the first time she ever felt so much frustration in so little time. "Who decided that?"

"Me, of course!" the ravenette replies unhesitatingly, her smile outright shameless as she looks right into Nepgear's eyes. "I'll show you just how strong I am, whether you want it or not!"

As if that wasn't enough, the Candidate can clearly see it in this person's eyes. She's absolutely, positively serious, and nothing short of a grievous injury would stop her.

It's incredible, really. Nepgear thought she had completely abandoned the empty concept of hope.

And yet, as a sinking feeling hits her stomach, it's amazing how she didn't even know about the remnants that just died a moment ago.

"What? There shouldn't be an issue, right?" Uni continues as smugly as ever, no doubt noticing the Candidate's horrified expression. "Help's help, isn't it?"

"Y-You're just being too pushy now!"

"I don't see any problems with it, though."

Instantly, Nepgear snaps her head towards the visibly confused peach-haired girl, shooting her a disbelieving look. "But, Compa...!"

"Um, isn't having more people better if you want to do some quests?" she reasons, clearly unaffected by the Candidate's gaze as she hugs the papers in her hold a bit closer. "I mean, all the scary monsters in Lastation are supposed to be really strong, right?"

"Well, that's not wrong, but—"

"Okay, it's settled!" Uni happily declares, a grin crossing her features. "I'll go get a bunch of quests! I hope you're ready to see a pro in action!"

With that, the ravenette walks off towards the counter, pointedly ignoring all the stares still directed at her.

Including Nepgear's, of course.

"..."

Her jaw slack at what just transpired, the lilac-haired girl turns towards Compa, shooting her a look whose meaning can only be described as "why."

The apologetic smile the nurse sends back doesn't look all that guilty. She doesn't even attempt to explain herself any further, clearly trusting the Candidate to have rationalized and understood her reasoning by now.

To be honest, she does get it, but still...

Letting out a big sigh, Nepgear lets her amethyst eyes wander over to where the ravenette is. Right now, she's excitedly—and proudly—asking for quests to one of the attendants, a young-looking redhead clad in a black suit, whose silky, shoulder-length hair covers her right eye, probably as orange as the left one.

The Guild employee also seems noticeably uncomfortable interacting with the overly cheerful perpetrator of the earlier scene.

That's pretty unsurprising, all things considered.

It's then that, out of nowhere, the attendant says something which sets Uni off, earning herself a hot glare which lasts for several seconds and a sudden desire to nervously look down, no doubt towards her computer hidden behind the counter. As she mutters something, the ravenette looks somewhat satisfied, folding her arms before letting out a huff.

Just like that, yet another sigh escapes the lilac-haired girl's lips.

Will this really be alright...?

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 ***Chapter 10***

 **As Well As Expected**

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The big, seemingly infinite sea is always a sight to behold.

Illuminated by the bright sun up in the somewhat cloudy sky, and rippling with each salty breeze from far away, the blue which reaches the horizon, coupled with the distant Leanboxian island far away, paints the scenery quite beautifully, thanks in no small part to the near nothingness above the barrier limiting the aquatic world.

It's a nice sight, Nepgear muses, just in time for a gust to blow past, both her hair and scarf alike flowing alongside it. Still, that's not the only notable feature here.

As she walks through the circular metallic platforms connected by pathways, their design essentially a white version of the constructs back in the Mascot's dungeon, the Candidate can't help but marvel at the few similarly colored buildings around the area. They seem placed randomly, but, in truth, their arrangement essentially leave the view of the sea mostly unobstructed, free to be appreciated by anyone who cares.

As a matter of fact, the whole place seems to have been built with that sort of freedom in mind.

Under the metal is the calm water, and despite the many connections from one platform to another, the uncovered distance between each pair isn't exactly negligible, ranging from a single meter to over twenty, doing nothing to hide the blue beneath.

Furthermore, the large buildings linked to some platforms, their architecture going from curved with colorful artistic additions to plain yet easy to look at, tend to have either big glass panes on their uppermost floors or simply accessible roofs with several tables, no doubt in order to allow the visitors a better view of the world around them.

While there's nothing really breathtaking around the entrance, unless someone really likes shallow water and an entrance checkpoint building, that changes quite a lot after some walking into the sea. In a way, the atmosphere becomes less heavy, as if asking

Such is the Rebeat Resort, a famous Lastationite attraction known to be calming, visually pleasing, economically accessible...

 _'... And now an abandoned area infested with monsters,'_ Nepgear mentally adds with a frown. Needless to say, it only deepens as she spots what looks like a really big—and abnormally thick—set of fish bones flying over the water nearby.

The Planeptunian Candidate remembers coming here with her sister and Histoire long ago, one of several fleeting changes of pace for the sheltered princess that she was. Even though her memories of it are somewhat fuzzy, the girl is sure that she had a good amount of fun in this place.

And that's why, even though everything seems much cleaner than expected—no doubt the work of several Hunters taking Guild assignments—looking at the resort in this empty state gives her a weird feeling.

... It's not a nice one.

"Alright, let's get started!" a haughty voice suddenly speaks up, prompting Nepgear to stop in her tracks and direct her view forward, something which Compa mirrors quite accurately by her right. Before the two girls, Uni, who apparently was more than happy to lead the party as the lilac-haired girl spaced out, is now turned towards them with folded arms and a big smile.

Which is probably a bad sign, the Candidate silently muses as her eyes narrow ever so slightly.

"Hey, stop with that face." The ravenette glares at her, no doubt noticing Nepgear's immense joy at being here with her. "At least let me explain what we're doing before acting like you have an indigestion."

"..."

Well, that wasn't very nice.

Seeing the lilac-haired girl's expression grow even less thrilled than before, Uni lets out an exasperated sigh. "I see there's no dealing with you."

 _'I could say the same to you...'_

Seriously, who the heck acts like that towards strangers?! It's taking a lot of self-control not to blow up again!

"Ah, whatever." The ravenette lets out a sigh, turning her back towards the two girls as she looks further into the resort. "Anyway, we're going to clean up the place of the weakest monsters around. Don't expect to fight any king crab, but we'll be seeing lots of frogs-in-the-box today."

"Wait, what the goodness, you want to deal with the _entire area of monsters_?" Nepgear finds herself asking in surprise, her voice disbelieving. That just sounds crazy!

"Only the _weak_ monsters. Well, relatively weak, anyway," Uni corrects her, turning around, with a smug smirk. "What, are your parents calling you back home? Or did you just forget to turn off the oven—"

It's then that it happens.

Before either girl can react, the nurse moves to the shorter girl's side.

 ***slap***

"Ow!" the ravenette yelps in surprise, raising a hand to the back of her head. "Did you seriously charge that with mana? What the hell—"

Just as Uni turns to look at the nurse next to her, however, she instantly shuts up as her eyes widen, as unbelieveable as that sounds.

Then again, not many would react differently when faced with Compa's chiding glare.

"Don't be mean," the nurse reprimands in a firm tone. "A girl your age shouldn't be acting like that."

"But—"

"Don't. Be. Mean," Compa repeats in a resolute voice, intent on leaving on place for protests.

"A-Ah..." The ravenette looks away from her, clearly uneasy at being treated like that for once. "G-Got it."

"Now apologize to Ge-Ge."

"What?!" Uni shoots her a stunned look. "I—"

At that, the peach-haired girl simply narrows her eyes.

"..." Slowly, the ravenette turns towards Nepgear, looking obviously nervous. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Um, it's alright..." the Candidate finds herself replying as she blinks, unsure of what she just witnessed.

Did her friend just tame a very annoying person with a smack and a look alone?

 _What the goodness?_

"Okay, then!" Compa speaks up, a big smile reaching her lips out of nowhere as she claps her hands. "We're all friends here, so let's work together!"

"S-Sure!" "Yeah!"

"Now..." the cheerful nurse continues, glancing at Nepgear. "How should we do this, Ge-Ge?"

The Planeptunian Candidate can't help but flinch at the sudden attention. She's supposed to make a battle plan _now_?!

"I-I think we should head to the west portion first!" she answers in a hurry, pointing towards the direction in question. "I'm seeing a lot more of enemies there. We might end up attracting attention when fighting, so it would be bad if it was the bigger group attacking us from behind!"

Goodness, she doesn't even know if what she said made sense...

"Okey dokey!" Compa doesn't seem to have such doubts, however, simply nodding twice before turning around and prancing away, just in time for her big syringe gun appearing in her hands. "Let's go, everybody! We got a bunch of mean monsters to beat up!"

"..."

"..."

Unsurprisingly, that leaves behind two confused girls, doing nothing but staring at the cheerful nurse's shrinking back.

"..."

"..."

After a few moments, it's Uni who reacts first, throwing a confused look at the taller girl behind her. "What... was that...?"

"... I wonder," Nepgear replies after a moment, only to shoot the ravenette a sideways glance. "But if you want to go home now, I'm not stopping you."

Just like that, annoyance crosses Uni's face. "You're so funny, aren't you..."

"I'm just saying."

"And I'm not taking the bait," the ravenette shoots back, letting out a huff. "I'll show you just how strong I am, whether you want it or not!"

With those familiar words, she turns forward with a determined gaze and begins walking towards the happy Compa, who doesn't seem to have noticed that her two fellow party members weren't following her.

 _'I guess that's not too surprising... although it does seem troublesome.'_

And Nepgear can only shake her head at it, moving to follow soon after.

Seriously, what's with that girl...?

Well, no matter, the Candidate supposes. It doesn't seem like she's to be a nice person, but as long as she proves herself a nice tool, this whole situation should prove worthwhile.

... As wrong as that logic would sound spoken out loud.

 _'Now, I just have to make sure everything goes according to the plan...'_

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

There was no plan.

That's something Nepgear realized quite a while ago. She was just winging it when she told Compa what they should do, there was no plan.

However, if there _was_ a plan, the lilac-haired girl is completely, absolutely sure about one little thing.

This wouldn't be part of it.

"Nepgear, right!"

"Ah!"

The Candidate steps back just in time for a fish skeleton monster, roughly half her size in height, to sail past, just barely missing her nose. She doesn't really allow herself any time to rest, however, bringing up her sword to block what seems like a small, spherical limbless green frog with floating cartoon hands and feet shooting towards her face from the left.

As if that wasn't enough, a circular, almost flat blue monster, roughly a bit over half Nepgear's height and adorned by a pair of bit-like yellow antlers, eyes consisting of two short black vertical lines, and mouth open to reveal nothing but a soft red, pounces at her just as the frog-like being touches the metallic floor and scurries away to its discarded cardboard box, prompting the girl to slash vertically with the laser knife in her left hand. The monster is cut in half with a high-pitched, digital-like scream of "vader," it halves flying past the Candidate as they begin to dissipate.

 _'Alright,'_ the girl thinks as she readjusts her position, eyeing her... _busy_ surroundings, _'that's one down. Only forty more.'_

And that's probably still too small of a number for the horde all around her. Crowding this platform and several adjacent others are many monsters, all frogs-in-the-box, fish zombies, babyvaders and delinquent cats, who look more like big brown weasels with cartoon-like features and mean-looking masks standing on their two hind legs.

They're small and everything, Nepgear muses while slashing away a set of fish bones which attempts to approach her, but their numbers sure are annoying.

"Was this part of your plan?" Uni asks from just centimeters behind her, her voice clearly exasperated as she lets out yet another energy blast through her gun. "Because I'm not having trouble with it, but I'm not enjoying it either."

"W-Well, I'm not exactly proud of how things went," the lilac-haired girl concedes, glancing at the girl she's back-to-back with. "But I'm pretty sure you're the one who attracted all these monsters with gunshots."

"I'm sorry, I thought we were supposed to deal with them?"

" _Not at once_ ," Nepgear points out, raising her guard as a nearby delinquent cat seems ready to attack. "Where's Compa, anyway? I can't see her in my side here—"

"NYA!"

Suddenly, a yellow bullet hits the monster's body, sending it flying and hitting a bunch of other enemies in the horde amidst several panicked cries.

Without wasting time, Nepgear snaps her head towards the source of the shot, a nearby white building much reminiscent of a fancy hotel with three stores. On its roof, leaning against the railing, is Compa, aiming at the monsters.

Just then, a quiet "ta" sounds as another bullet flies, hitting a nearby floating fish zombie and making it fall on top of a babyvader, who falls back on a pair of delinquent cats, who in turn lose their balance and fall on a frog's box, leaving the monster trapped within, its panicked movements obvious by both the loud "ribbits" and the way the box shakes.

... That was a single shot.

As if that wasn't enough, it's then that the nurse notices the amethyst eyes focused on her, shooting a smile at the lilac-haired girl.

Nepgear can't help smile at the whole thing, all the while kicking a babyvader away. It's beyond ironic how—

"Shut up," Uni suddenly says as a loud energy shot sounds, followed by the cries of a delinquent cat.

"Hm?" The lilac-haired girl raises an eyebrow, glancing back. "But I didn't—"

"I _know_ you just thought something related to me," the ravenette cuts her off, sounding pretty annoyed. "I just don't have a good shooting spot here, is all."

"... Okay, then." The Candidate shrugs, slashing at an incoming fish zombie.

It's still true, though.

With that thought in mind, Nepgear focuses once more on slashing, kicking or just otherwise pushing back any monsters who attempts to approach the two of them. Like that, the battle continues to rage on for a long time...

... Or something like that.

To be honest, it's not a big deal at all. The monsters aren't really willing to rush at once anymore, as the first attempt led to a bunch of tripping and a small mountain of fallen enemies, and there are even some who just run off once the going gets tough rather than dying and being sent to... wherever they are sent to before respawning.

Whether that means the party will have to hunt them down or they'll become less willing to attack passersby is another story altogether. Point is, the number of enemies growing smaller one way or another is good for the party in this particular fight.

A frog-in-the-box approaches, it gets a knife to the face. A fish zombie grows closer, Nepgear just slashes at it diagonally.

They have more HP than the monsters in Planeptune, sure. However, they're also much less crafty than things like dogoos.

The Candidate can see how it'd be dangerous to be ambushed by them, but having a small battlefield in the form of the circular platforms and Uni to watch her back makes everything borderline trivial. Perhaps it's just a case of tremendously good circumstances, but the battle almost feels like a chore.

It just so happens it's a pretty big and annoying chore.

"Alright, that's it, my patience's shot," Uni begins, her tone doing nothing but reaffirming her words. "They either shield each other while the hurt ones recover or just flee! If there were less of them, we'd be able to take care of it without breaking a sweat!"

"Got any plan?" Nepgear finds herself asking honestly, eyeing the monster to make sure none catch her off-guard.

"Divide and conquer. I run off this instant, a part of them follows me, I shoot them to hell while you and the nurse deal with the remaining ones," Uni explains hurriedly.

"Isn't splitting up a bad idea?"

"It's that or 'fight harder,'" the ravenette deadpans. "Look, we'll be fine. This isn't a horror movie, I won't be that far away, and it's not like there's some big evil organization like ASIC hunting down either of us."

Right now, the Candidate is very glad she's not facing Uni.

There's no way the shorter girl wouldn't have noticed her suddenly stiff expression.

 _'Yeah, about that...'_

"C'mon, just tell the nurse to focus on helping you after I start running."

"Her name's Compa..." Nepgear grumbles under her breath, but still turns to face the peach-haired girl anyway. "Hey, Compa! No matter what happens, keep covering me, okay?!"

Unsurprisingly, the nurse looks confused at that, lowering her syringe slightly to shoot a questioning gaze at her supposed party leader.

"Just do it!" the Candidate shouts at her direction before glancing at the ravenette, keeping half of her attention on the obviously wary monsters watching for their next movement. "Alright, that's your cue. Try not to die so easily."

"Me? Die?" Somehow, Nepgear can almost _feel_ Uni's grin at that. "Please, who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

Without waiting for a response, she suddenly shoots forward, unloading her energy weapon on the nearest enemies. Turning around at the noise, the lilac-haired girl can only watch as the ravenett eproceeds to _jump_ on the clearly surprised monsters, using any being under her as a stepping stone while blasting whoever as much as looks at her funny.

Not hesitating for a moment, Uni continues hopping from monster to monster all the way to the end of an adjacent platform, where she lands with an audible "clang" on the other side of the horde.

Much to the now wide-eyed Nepgear's amazement, of course.

 _'Goodness, that... was actually impressive.'_

Overly so, even. That girl's either insane or really, _really_ good at what she does.

Their enemies seem to think the same, if their reactions—or lack thereof—mean anything. For a while, it's as if time has frozen still as the ravenette remains crouched, her chest moving noticeably as she takes several slow breaths, and much like Nepgear—also Compa, without a doubt—the monsters simply stare at her, as if wondering what the heck just happened.

Then, Uni lets out a laugh.

An instant later, she shoots off.

"Vader!" "Meow! Nya!" "Ribbit!"

As if waking up from a trance, several of the monsters immediately follow her lead, pushing, floating and hopping their way along the platforms and pathways with complete abandon, clearly losing interest on the stunned Planeptunian Candidate—

"Ribbit!"

"Slow!" ***Ta***

—leaving only a manageable portion of them, Nepgear notes as she turns around just in time to see a yellow bullet impact an incoming frog-in-the-box.

Stepping out of the monster's disrupted trajectory, letting it sail past and hit the floor with a cry and a "squish," the Candidate nods her thanks to the nurse up on the nearby building's roof, receiving a smile back for her trouble.

Okay, she just lost her focus... that was bad, the girl contemplates as she eyes the surrounding enemies, now considerably fewer than before. Where before they could easily go past fifty, or at least get close to it, now there's no way there are more than twenty monsters in this area.

Which is... sort of worrying, actually. Did Uni attract most of them?

"Vader!"

"!"

Nepgear ducks under a babyvader's pounce, turning around and slashing along its back.

As her newest attacker falls to the ground with a whine, the Candidate doesn't waste time in throwing her knife at it, the blade piercing right through the thin, blue body. With a last cry, the babyvader struggles for a moment before simply stopping still, slowly fading into what seems like particles of light.

The monster's death can't exactly be called a pleasing sight, the lilac-haired girl muses whilst summoning her knife back, another appearing in her left hand shortly after.

But then, what's with this strange feeling of amusement...?

... No, that's not important. Not now, at least.

Nepgear already knows about that one shameful trait of hers, that she enjoys causing pain. Dwelling on it any further won't change much, especially not during a fight.

It'd be quite difficult to try and convince herself that she doesn't like hurting others while doing just that.

Which is why the girl pushes the thought to the back of her mind as she punts a frog-in-the-box in the face, throwing her knife at it just as the monster leaves the ground. Stepping to the side to evade a zombie fish's flailing tail, she instinctively grabs it and swings the monster like a golf club at a delinquent cat in the ground, letting go of it just after the impact and allowing both monsters to be sent flying off the platform.

As the cat-like cries begin, only to suddenly stop with a "splash," Nepgear turns around and slashes at a babyvader on the ground, kicking it up right after and shooting her fist right into the middle of it's large face. Taking her eyes off the monster as it is sent to the ground, the girl prepares to block a pouncing frog monster, only for a bigger-than-usual yellow bullet to impact its side, sending it straight to the floor.

The lilac-haired girl shoots the nurse above a thankful smile before focusing back on the battle, summoning a knife to her hand and running towards the delinquent cat nearby.

It's easy. This whole fight has been nothing but easy. Shockingly so, even.

Every slash, every sidestep, every thrust, it all feels far more effective now.

A stab, and a zombie fish goes down. A kick, and it's a frog-in-the-box which begins to disintegrate. Instead of being stronger than the monsters of Planeptune, more powerful than those dogoos, it's like they're considerably _weaker_.

Is this the power of the Mascot she received? The reward for fighting strong warriors? Are those simply uncoordinated mooks, nowhere near the top of the Lastationite's power pyramid? Or is it all because Uni attracted most of their numbers when she ran off?

Right now, the Candidate feels as if it's a combination of the latter two. With the dogoos, they acted as one, taking advantage of openings without any fear. Against Nepugia and that elf girl, she had to expect a block, a parry followed by a counterattack, or just about anything else they could think about and try to instinctively plan ahead.

Here, however?

 ***Vwoooosh***

At the sudden gust coming from her side, Nepgear automatically raises her knife arm to protect her face, only for a pain equivalent to blocking a powerful punch without any mana protection to hit her forearm. The wind stops just a moment later, however, and beyond her sore limb the girl can see an obviously surprised delinquent cat staring at her.

Still, this amount of pain is nowhere near what a pipe's swing does, much less an explosion.

These few monsters, who are hesitant to advance, far too eager to escape and unable to work together, can't even hurt Nepgear's _psyche_. Sharp, focused pain would have her seeing blood in no time, while an endless flurry of weak attacks would shatter her composure in an instant.

And, until now, _they couldn't do either._

A smirk reaches the lilac-haired girl 's lips, and before she knows it her legs are slowly moving towards the little mage wannabe.

Rather than fleeing for its life, it cowers, obviously freezing up on the spot.

 _This is way too easy._

"M-Meow...?"

A grin slowly surging in her face, Nepgear comes to a halt in front of the monster. Her sword arm slowly raises above her head, stopping as its edge points to the sky.

For a moment, she stays in that position, pleased amethyst eyes watching the trembling deliquent cat.

Suddenly, she flashes her teeth.

The sword descends, and, left with nothing else to do, the monster cries out, huddling against itself and covering its eyes.

And then—

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Absolutely nothing happens.

"M-Meow...?" Slowly, the delinquent cat peeks over its paws, as if wondering why it's still alive.

Just millimeters away from its head is the laser sword, free to end its life whenever the lilac-haired girl wishes.

The monster just stares...

And stares...

Nepgear chuckles.

"Nyaaaaaaah!"

As if broken out of a trance, the delinquent cat lets out a loud cry as it turns tail, runs a bit and _dives_ into the water around the platform, swimming as fast as possible away from the girl.

The Candidate can't help herself as another chuckle escapes her lips. Chances are that one's not going to step out of line any time soon. And if it does...

Well, some extra Exp wouldn't hurt, she supposes.

A smile on her face, Nepgear brings her sword back to her side as she turns around, searching for the next enemy. However, it soon becomes clear to her that the action was a wasted one.

There's not a single monster in sight, after all.

 _'I guess this is it, then.'_

Letting out a satisfied sigh, the girl stores away her weapons, allowing her eyes to wander around the resort.

So, this is the feeling of complete success, of having done a good job without any sort of casualties... It's a bit weird to feel like this after all she went through, but Nepgear could certainly get used to it.

Still, as much as the Candidate would love to stay here and bask on that feeling a bit more, there's one little thing she should do first.

Namely, finding Uni.

 ***boom* *pew* *pew***

"Hm...?"

As her ears adjust to her surroundings, and the distant sounds of an energy weapon become more and more noticeable, the lilac-haired girl turns towards their general direction, only to see...

... Absolutely no sight of action, only the platforms and buildings of Rebeat Resort. How weird, she can certainly hear something going on...

Is the battle happening behind that white, hotel-like building far away, perhaps? Well, most certainly, if the noise is anything to go by, but the real question is why Uni decided to fight there, out of view from the rest of the party.

For an instant, the lilac-haired girl wonders if the ravenette attracted the monsters to that spot specifically so that she and Compa couldn't see her fight, probably to hide some sort of skill of hers.

Unsurprisingly, she discards the thought as fast as it came. It's just so far-fetched; what sort of thing would that show-off of a girl want to hide? In truth, chances are that the spot where she stopped running and began fighting just so happens to be out of Nepgear's view.

Coincidences do happen, after all.

"Are we done here, Ge-Ge?" a familiar voice asks from behind the girl, bringing a slight smile to her face.

"Yeah, I guess so," Nepgear replies, turning around to face the cheerful nurse standing just a meter away. "Thanks for covering me. We should probably go help Uni now."

At those words, Compa nods happily. "Yup! I'll be right behind you, Ge-Ge!"

Her own smile widening, the Candidate lets out a chuckle as she directs her view forward, towards the source of the battle noises. "Alright, then..." She takes a deep breath. "Here's hoping that girl hasn't attracted a horde of boss monsters."

The ravenette already attracted most of the enemies when she ran off; catching the attention of a couple more with her loud attacks isn't exactly out of question.

Rather, given how everything around Nepgear seems to go wrong, that's very much a possibility.

 _'... Maybe I should have told Compa to go with her. She was a big help, but I probably could have managed those few monsters alone...'_

Absentmindedly, the Candidate takes a last look at the spot above the building where the nurse was. It was actually pretty convenient that there was a building nearby—

Wait.

Nepgear's eyes widen, her breath hitching in her throat.

 ***rattle*... *rattle*... *rattle*...**

Right there, dangling over the edge of the building, between two metal bars of the security railing...

 ***rattle*... *rattle*...**

 _Is that a hand—_

 ***VWOOSH***

"!"

At the sound of rippling air, Nepgear ducks under something metallic as it sails past her head. However, just as she turns around to face her attacker, the thin metallic object enters her view once again. Instinctively, the girl raises her left arm to block, all the while summoning her sword in her right grasp—

 _'What the...?!'_

—only for the metal to twist, just narrowly missing her face as it _coils_ around her forearm.

An instant later, the girl realizes.

 _It's a thick chain._

As for its wielder...

"Tch... Looks like I underestimated you. How annoying."

The very same elf as yesterday is just two meters away, her right hand holding onto the chain which seems to be stored inside her jacket's sleeve. A new weapon of hers, without a doubt.

Still, as amethyst eyes narrow and the Candidate assumes a fighting stance despite her bound arm, that's not what catches her attention the most.

"Where's Compa?" Nepgear asks—or, rather, _demands_ an answer from—the violet elf. The nurse is nowhere to be seen, even though she was here just an instant ago...!

Rather than answering, her enemy simply grins at her.

 ***RATTLE* *RATTLE***

"?!"

Suddenly, it's as if the chain _explodes_ around the Candidate's arm, loosening itself and lashing out towards all directions.

It almost feel like luck when Nepgear manages to simply pull her arm away from the metallic object and jump back, but not before the chain manages to hit quite decisively her temple.

"Kuh...!"

Staggering a bit, pain no doubt written all over her expression, the lilac-haired girl brings her free hand to the point of impact, still feeling no small amount of lingering pain. When her hand comes back, it's **_washed in blood_ ** completely clean, assuring her that it's nothing too serious.

"..."

10% damage... That's all it took for the hallucinations to begin.

"I wouldn't be worrying about the dumb girl if I were you," the ASIC member taunts her, smugness all over her face. "Really, she's just sleeping up on the roof there. Literally, before you ask."

"... How nice of you," Nepgear mumbles irritatedly, looking somewhat calm for someone holding a conversation with her assailant.

However, the situation in her mind is anything but calm.

 _'She took Compa's form somehow... Illusion magic. But she never tried to pull off the same tricks as Nepugia, so maybe it's another style she specializes in... Furthermore, she took down Compa without alerting me or, if this girl is telling the truth, killing her. There's also how she has that chain now... She manipulates acceleration somehow, right? This is really dangerous...'_

There are way too many things to worry about... and so suddenly!

Why did this girl have to show up _now_?! Things were going so well!

... Then again, that doesn't matter. What does matter is how Nepgear has to find a way to beat this girl fast, and then ascertain Compa's wellbeing.

If the nurse is dead, there's only one thing Nepgear can do...

But that's not here nor now.

"You think I'd be stupid enough to give you some kinda 'revenge power-up'?" the elf scoffs. Moving her right hand back and taking a step forward with her left foot, she assumes what looks like a proper stance for once, all the while a smirk remains on her face. "If I'm gonna kill you broads, I'm doing it at the same time."

"Well, aren't you being careful..." Pointing her blade at the elf, the lilac-haired girl assumes a fencing stance, ready to stab forward. "Did you seriously follow us from way back in Planeptune? Your timing just now was a bit too good."

"God, no," comes the instant reply, the ASIC member looking outright disgusted at the idea. "Ain't nobody got time to follow a bunch of dumb broads around the world. I'm allergic to stupid, you know? Just saw you morons jumping on the roofs."

"..."

At that, Nepgear takes a deep breath, suddenly feeling like hitting her head against a wall.

Alright, so _maybe_ she didn't think that through...

"In any case, I'm beating you up if you don't step aside," the Candidate declares, inching forward ever so slightly. "Just giving a warning."

"Yeah, right." The underling simply grins, looking wholly unconvinced. "Good luck with _that_!"

Without waiting any further, the elf punches forward with her right hand, somehow _launching_ the chain towards Nepgear. Thinking fast, the lilac-haired girl sidesteps and slashes at its end, killing the momentum and forcing the chain to deform midair.

Taking her chance, Nepgear dashes forward—

 ***rattle***

"?!"

—only for the chain to _follow_ her, as if a living snake.

Stopping dead in her tracks, the lilac-haired girl turns around and slashes at the chain once more, sending it flailing lifelessly towards the ground.

"Too slow!"

"!"

To her left, the elf enters her view from behind, coming to a screeching halt as she swings her left, chainless arm—

 _Pipe._

 ***Pssssssh***

At the last instant, Nepgear manages to raise her sword in a blocking motion, her left hand pushing against the laser blade itself as the pipe pushes her back.

It certainly stings a bit, the girl muses as she grits her teeth... but it's better than the alternative.

At the sight, the greenette whistles. "Can't say you're not determined. That alone ain't winning a fight, though."

The lilac-haired girl's reply is nothing but a glare.

For some reason, that has the underling's grin widening even further. "Well, I suppose this is gonna be fun either way."

"Not... for... _you_!"

Twisting her blade, Nepgear manages to push the pipe aside and singlehandedly bring her sword back right after, slashing at her enemy's eyes. The attack is avoided simply by leaning back, however, but, as the Candidate makes use of the momentum to spin around, the same can't be said about the second attempted, the handle's butt hitting the elf square in the temple.

Letting out a grunt, the violet girl staggers back, giving Nepgear a chance to step forward, raise her leg in a manner much reminiscent of a martial arts practitioner rather than a swordswoman, and plant her boot against her adversary's stomach, sending her even further back. As if that wasn't enough, as soon as the lilac-haired girl's leg touches the ground, she jumps back and flings a grenade, looking away at the bright flash and surprised cry that come soon after.

A simple three-hit combo, taking advantage of stun time rather than outplaying her enemy... and yet Nepgear can't help but feel proud at pulling it off.

That's not nearly enough to defeat the elf, however. She's completely aware of that.

Which is why, not even an instant later, a bright light encompasses the Candidate.

It's go hard or go home, after all.

"Not so fast!"

"!"

As soon as the light disperses, now finally in HDD, Nepgear only has a fraction of a second to react to the metallic chain centimeters away from her face. Leaning to the right, the metal sails past harmlessly, just barely scratching her... scarf?

What the goodness, why is she still wearing it transformed—

No, she can't get distracted now.

Not when just a meter away is the elf, right arm outstretched and pipe in the other hand as she dashes forward.

 _'I guess it's about now that I start winging it...!'_

Rather than waiting for the chain to turn into a pseudo-snake, the girl instead takes hold of the chain with her left hand, pushing it as hard as possible. The ASIC underling lets out a startled yelp as she's pulled forward, losing her balance in a way which allows Nepgear to let go and dodge the clumsy swing of the pipe without issues, letting her enemy sail past. Unwilling to let an opening go to waste, the Candidate prepares a slash at the elf's back with her newly transformed gunblade.

Unsurprisingly, however, the violet girl does something to her momentum, for she suddenly stops and spins right back with her pipe far too fast.

In that instant, Nepgear's eyes widen. She won't be able to stop that. Even if she attempts to activate one of the acceleration glyphs CPUs are known for, even if she tries to impulse her own body just like she does when flying, she _won't_ be able to stop that.

 _This is going to hurt._

Inwardly berating herself for not preparing a block, the Candidate braces herself for the impact—

 ***CLANG***

—only for it to never come as her scarf _lashes out_ , hitting the pipe's underside and sending the violet girl's arm upwards along with the makeshift weapon.

The surprise that crosses the underling's face is mirrored on the lilac-haired girl's features. Honestly, how could she _not_ be taken aback?

Goodness, her scarf somehow became like _steel_ during that attack!

Taking a step back, her shock fading away, the elf girl readjusts her stance before shooting a smirk at Nepgear. "You're just unbelievable, you know that?"

As she returns the gaze, breaking out of her fencing stance and adopting her usual one, Nepgear doesn't exactly have a comeback. She sure didn't expect her HDD to upgrade her _scarf_ too, only her weapons.

Then again, the girl _was_ thinking of the accessory as a weapon of sorts, wasn't she? Even if it was supposed to be just for grappling, not... this.

... Well, she's not complaining.

"Still think I'll need luck to win, Miss Underling?" the Planeptunian Candidate asks a bit too happily, allowing a small smile to reach her features.

"Looks like somebody's getting confident." Her enemy's smile only widens as she speaks those smug words. "Really, I'm pretty dang surprised, you were such a baby yesterday." Suddenly, her mouth drops into a frown. "I'm still gonna kill you for calling me that, though. The name's _Linda_ , not Underling, Pinkie."

"Good luck with that," is all the lilac-haired girl says in response, sounding a tad too conceited herself. "Don't mind me if I kill you back for the nickname, though. My name is _Nepgear_ , not Pinkie, Miss Underling."

Unsurprisingly, the elf lets out a snarl at the words. Still, it's easy to see some traces of an amused smile there.

It's then that the lilac-haired girl realizes. She really _does_ feel way more confident than usual.

Is she still riding on the sensation of victory from before? Or is it because she's actually in HDD this time? Perhaps she's actually subconsciously forcing herself to act this way, just because the alternative isn't exactly good?

Well, no matter the case, she has to make sure this feeling doesn't fade away any time soon. That'd open up space for panic, after all.

Which is why she doesn't hesitate to let mana pour into her muscles the instant the elf's stance twitches.

And then, in a single movement, the elf shoots forward at abnormally high speeds.

Except it's not fast enough.

 **'Mirage Dance!'**

 ***Pssh***

With her heightened reflexes and buffed muscles, with a single powerful horizontal slash, Nepgear hits back the incoming pipe, sending her enemy's arm to her left, outwards. Rather than losing her balance, the elf instantly halts to a stop, spinning in place before coming back swinging her chain.

 ***CLANG***

A scarf intercepts it, pushing the metallic object back and deforming its entire body. That does nothing to the ASIC girl herself, however, who stabs at the Candidate with her pipe at the same time as her chain shoots forward like a snake. Reacting fast, Nepgear once again hits the underside of the pipe just as her scarf hits the incoming chain, only to be forced to dash to the side when the blunt weapon comes accelerated right back down, her feet gliding along the floor before touching it once more.

Without hesitation, Nepgear attempts to take a stab at the elf, only for the chain to push her sword outwards. Her enemy tries the same, but the scarf swings at the pipe at the last moment, disrupting its trajectory as it misses the lilac-haired girl by a good twenty centimeters.

Taking a step back at the same time as her adversary to readjust her stance, the Candidate attempts a vertical slash to the left, but the elf is fast enough—or, rather, her ability is—for the pipe to come right back up, blocking the laser blade. Without missing a beat, both girls take hold of their weapons with their free hands and attempt to overpower the other as Nepgear's scarf lashes out in an attempt to hit the ASIC member's grip. The attack, however, is stopped as soon as the chain hits hardened silk, and again, and again, and again. Suddenly, it's metal which attacks, and the lilac-haired girl finds herself the one defending before countering, only to be intercepted once again.

The back-and-forth continues without pause as the two fighters push at each other's guard, only their MP being depleted with every strike of their side-weapons. As scarlet eyes focus on narrowed violet orbs with nothing but amusement, a massive smirk crosses Underling's features.

" _Amazing_ ," she breathes out, pure excitement in her voice. "This is just freaking _amazing_ , you know? The last time I've had this much fun fighting somebody was about, let's see..." she trails off, her lips parting into a big grin, " _never_! Hell, I could lose right now and I'd be _happy_!"

"That's great," Nepgear begins, a smirking despite herself. "At least I know you won't be sad after we're done... Not that I'd have minded making an underling cry a bit."

Just like that, the elf's grin widens even further, her eyes growing absolutely manic. "Now _that's_ the spirit, Pinkie!"

Suddenly, both the scarf and the chain _double their speed_ as they take turns in attempting to overpower the other, not out of some sort of sportsmanship, but because it's simply impossible for one to attack twice before a counter comes. The MP drainage also doubles with that, the Candidate feeling the strain as she puts even more strength behind her attempt to break the elf's guard, with her enemy doing the same.

And yet, it doesn't matter.

For some reason, in this moment, whether her body will be able to withstand this doesn't matter at all to the lilac-haired girl.

Here she is, fighting the same person who overpowered her so decisively just a day ago, and they're almost _matched_. Whether it's Nepgear or Underling who will be victorious depends on which one of them is edging just a little bit beyond the other.

The Planeptunian Candidate should be ashamed, utterly disheartened, that a single elf is enough to match her HDD... but that's not the feeling which courses through her entire being.

It's then that the lilac-haired girl finally understands, just as her smirk widens as much as it can.

Her body isn't telling her to hurt this person. That's not what she's looking for here, and that's not what she wished yesterday.

Nepgear wants to _win_.

This thrill of standing up to a strong oponente despite her uselessness, to give her all against someone without either combatant outmatching the other...

 _She loves it._

Right now, she's completely _enamored_ by this person before her, who can take her attacks and return them just the same, and not in the romantic sense; instead, in this delirious moment of nonstop onslaught, in this endless dance of stabs and slashes, the lilac-haired girl wants nothing more than to outplay her every move, find a way to go beyond what her adversary's capabilities and _just freaking win._

As for the best part?

As the scarf gets close enough to graze her enemy's cheek for once, she only seems more excited by it. If there was any doubts to be had, now there are none.

 _This Linda girl feels exactly the same as her._

 ***CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG***

Just like that, the world stops mattering. At every block, at every strike which grows closer and closer to its target, at every push which threatens to break the other's stance, Nepgear finds her mind growing further and further from reality, and focusing more and more on this single moment.

Saving Gamindustri? Already doing it, so why think about it?

Finding the Mascot? Eh, they don't have any leads still.

Checking if Compa's alright? Even if she's dead and the Candidate has to retry, this experience will have been worth it.

Helping Uni out against the mobs? That girl can probably take care of herself, no need to worry about it.

The only thing that's important is this fight, _and nothing else_.

Which is why Nepgear doesn't have any qualms against flashing Underling a grin, just as several white acceleration glyphs begin forming near her blade.

Which is why she can only feel thrilled when the excitement written all over the elf's face grows, the pipe starting to tremble ever so slightly as if charging up on something.

Which is why, despite how absolutely _insane_ and _reckless_ the action might be, there's not a single ounce of hesitation to be had in the lilac-haired girl's mind.

Which is why, just as she feels the beginnings of an abnormally powerful push coming from the pipe, Nepgear _pulls her sword back_...

 _... And activates the glyphs._

 ***VWOOOOSH***

Instantly, just as the white gunblade makes contact with the pipe once more and the white symbols _shatter_ , the girls' weapons are pushed back with immense force, flying off their hands just as a pair of opposite powerful gusts of wind hit them both head-on, sending them skidding almost a meter back each. Amidst the confusion, both the scarf and chain to wave around lifelessly, any focus the two combatants had completely _destroyed_.

An abnormal control of acceleration, versus momentum-generating magic which disregards the rules of traditional physics... Taking that into consideration, the result could have been far more outlandish.

However, not once does that thought pass through Nepgear's mind. Instead, as the surprise in her expression quickly fades away, she acts fast, planting her forward foot behind while willing her scarf to stab forward once again. As expected, the elf does the same, the chain sailing forward to meet white silk just as her stance is fixed.

Except that's not all the Candidate has in store.

Letting a smirk cross her face, as she calls the discarded sword back to her inventory, the lilac-haired girl prepares to summon a laser knife—

 ***VWOOOON***

It's as if time slows down.

One second, there is Underling, preparing an attack.

Another, a _giant blue ball of energy_ approaches from the right, suddenly _centimeters away_ from the elf.

In that instant, the horror which crosses the ASIC member's face is perfectly mirrored in Nepgear's own.

And then...

 ***BOOOOOOOOOM***

 _'W-What_ _...?!'_

The Planeptunian Candidate has to cover her eyes at the exceedingly bright light, and the loud explosion doesn't do any favors to her now ringing ears either.

When she opens her eyes, the elf is nowhere to be seen, her spot now completely singed.

It takes a moment for Nepgear to react, but when she _does_ —

"Wha... WHAT THE GOODNESS?!"

—it captures her state of mind perfectly.

Turning to the left, violet eyes frantically searching for her former adversary. It doesn't take long to spot the elf's face first—but otherwise seemingly unscathed—form _two platforms away_ , her chain strewn all over her body. From this distance, the lilac-haired girl can't feel her mana, but the way she writhes occasionally is a dead giveaway that she's not... well, dead.

At the sight, Nepgear lets out a relieved sigh, breaking out of her stance and into a more casual pose.

Gosh, she thought Underling had been disintegrated or something after that light. It seems like her mana took the brunt of the hit, though.

Thank goodness.

It wouldn't feel particularly nice to witness the death of someone she just interacted with, after all. It probably wouldn't do wonders to her state of mind either.

In any case, this is probably it, she supposes. Underling certainly took a lot of damage from that, no question.

Still, there's something off...

Namely, herself.

 _'Goodness, I feel so disappointed...'_

For her enemy to be taken out like that, with a sneak attack coming out of nowhere... It doesn't feel nice.

Not the "sneak attack" part, no; if it was to achieve victory, Nepgear is sure she wouldn't hesitate to pull off something like that. The conditions are too dire for her to let herself be bound by something such as "honor," after all.

It's just that... this had nothing to do with her. It might sound stupid, but the Candidate really, _really_ wanted to defeat the elf herself; if it was to be through trickery, then it'd be _her_ trickery!

But, instead, somebody who had nothing to do with this just... up and blasted her her.

Chances are Nepgear will have to get used to the feeling of losing a target; a defeated enemy is a defeated enemy, no matter who did the deed.

However, for the time being, she can't help but want to reprimand whoever shot that ball of energy...

... Wait.

 _Wait._

Somebody else _blasted_ Underling. What the _heck_ is the stupid Candidate doing spacing out?! They could be an enemy for all she knows!

Hastily, amethyst orbs finally turn towards the direction from where the energy orb came, more than eager to find its source.

It's then that Nepgear freezes, and for a good reason.

Standing by the edge of the platform is a girl, staring attentively at the spot where the elf lies, as if waiting for a counter-attack to come any moment.

Except she's _not_ just any girl.

Silver hair, much like the one the Lastationite CPU had when in HDD, styled in a pair of shoulder-length spiral twintails. A stupidly large black railgun in her grasp, somehow held singlehandedly. An outfit which could be described as dark arm gloves, stocking boots and a leotard of the same color covering her petite form, the outfit considerably reminiscent of Noire's.

Several metallic armor-like objects around her body, but not touching it, somehow floating still just centimeters away.

 _Bright green eyes, adorned by a pair of power symbols._

 ** _A CPU._**

The Planeptunian Candidate blinks, disbelief beyond obvious in her features. In what feels like an automatic motion, she takes a step towards this mysterious person.

In a single motion, the newcomer turns to the lilac-haired, shooting her what can only be called a serious, naturally annoyed glare.

Nepgear freezes.

That look... It's a familiar one.

Far too familiar, actually.

On an impulse, a single word escapes the lilac-haired girl's lips, a name she heard for the first time just two hours ago.

A name she didn't think would be important at all.

"Uni?"

Does this mean... she's not an enemy?

"!"

Suddenly, the girl moves. Before the Planeptunian Candidate can react, she gets a much better look of the massive railgun this unknown CPU carries.

How could she not, _when it's pointed straight at her face_?

Much like the hateful glare "Uni" is shooting her, that is.

"Shut it, _traitor_."

"..."

Nepgear blinks.

Slowly, much like a lifeless robot, she takes a step back.

And then, on a whim, a single sound escapes her lips, the most concise and cohesive explanation possible for her current state of mind.

"... Huh?!"

 ** _An enemy?!_**

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 _ **Sickness, devices breaking, more devices breaking, extra classes, family events...**_

 ** _Excuses are something I'm not lacking, as you people can see._** ** _Still... that doesn't change how I messed up. Bigly._**

 ** _To be honest, I was also planning on updating the Uni story, and make a couple more oneshots, but... Well, you can probably guess how that ended._**

 ** _In any case, before I inevitably get a tomato thrown to my face, I suppose I should say something about this chapter._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _I can't think of anything. It was definitely a chapter._**

 ** _Well, then. I guess I better try and write as much as possible as fast as possible for the foreseeable future. That has to work, right?_**

 ** _Anyway, you know the usual stuff, don't forget to review so that the pretty number up there goes up!_**

 ** _Well, also to share your thoughts on what I did right or wrong in the chapter, but, seriously, the number!_**

 ** _With that out of the way, it's time to start writing something else._**

 ** _See y'all in my next delusion!_**

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"Ugh..."

Linda lets out a grunt as she writhes on the floor, slowly opening her eyes.

That... hurt, dammit!

Was she just literally _exploded out of nowhere_?! Seriously, that was 40% off of her HP at once! It's gotta take over one potion to deal with that!

And for her, who pays for every healing item she uses herself?

 _That's one too many._

Gritting her teeth, the greenette slowly sits up, her chain falling off her back with the noticeable rattle of metal. Seriously, what the hell _was_ that attack? It doesn't matter that she can still stand up! After something a big-ass explosion like that, the fight might as well be over!

With that big chunk of HP taken off Linda, and her stamina drained by taking the hit, whatever they do now won't reach the same level of balance they had achieved before! Now it's just gonna be the same old "hit 'em till they drop" crap as always, except she'll probably be the one dropping first!

Even if she uses a bunch of potions then jumps back into the fray, and that's only if she's miraculously not attacked while healing, there's _no way_ the mood's gonna be the same! Rather than "the dangerous challenger who can stand up to the Planeptunian Candidate," she'll just be "the sore loser who got blasted but came back"!

That amazing, _exciting_ match is over, taken away from her grasp by some random dumbass who felt like getting involved!

 _And just when she was actually having fun for once!_

Her right hand tightens around the chain at the thought, and scarlet orbs begins to wander about. _Someone_ is going to pay dearly for that...

... Wait.

Right there, on the platform she was... _is that another CPU?_

 _Is she pointing her gun at Pinkie?!_

Linda blinks once. Then again. And a third time, just to be sure she's not hallucinating.

"What... the... hell..."

This is crazy. This whole thing is getting too goddamn crazy to her.

The greenette just got her prey taken from her... by another potential prey.

And, if the damage she took means anything, that girl—Nepgear, was it?—is _done for_. There's no way she can beat this new CPU without some extra training; Miss Spirals there is either stupid strong or has some skill that fits the bill!

Worse yet, that means Linda can't beat her either, not without a hundred ace cards and some pretty damn heavy support!

Granted, she might be overestimating that chick there a lot with that line of thought, but _damn_ , did that shot hurt!

When the Pinkie defeated her in such a humiliating way, the greenette learned that you can never have enough tricks up your sleeve, so she got this chain from some dump as another weapon since it'd work well with some acceleration, and it _did_ work. The fact that she was able to withstand that broad in HDD is proof of that; if she had nothing but a pipe, she'd have been done in just _instants_ after starting the fight!

But what's Linda supposed to take from this railgun-wielding, gun-totting psycho?

 _Always carry a nuke with you?_

The greenette scoffs, gritting her teeth even harder. Knowing her luck, that broad would find some insane way to survive it without a scratch.

So, what's left to do? Run away, pretty much setting herself up to fight an even stronger version of that railgun broad in the future? Or get involved in some kinda threeway fight, even though she can get utterly wrecked by either of the CPUs getting just a bit lucky?

Somehow, the greenette feels like that, unlike the battle against the purple CPU there, is a challenge she wouldn't enjoy very much.

Enjoying fighting and being a hardcore masochist are two totally different things, after all.

For God's sake, is there any good choice to be made here? She's just a single elf, dammit! It's not like Linda can split herself in two to have better odds of winning—

Wait.

At the thought, the girl stops gritting her teeth, just as her grip on the chain loosens.

Little by little, realization dawns on her face.

That's right, she can't split herself in two...

But she _can_ do something which involves two people.

Slowly, her lips turn upwards, until becoming a full-fledged smirk.

Not even fifteen seconds have passed from when she began thinking. On that other platform, the black CPU is still pointing her gun at the obviously confused Planeptunian Candidate.

In a normal situation, the latter would probably lose, yes. Maybe by a smaller margin than the greenette expects, depending on how off her guesses about their power levels are, but that's not important right now.

Point is, chances _aren't_ on that Nepgear girl's side for this fight.

So, the setup is pretty simple.

1) Linda can hurt Pinkie.

2) Pinkie can hurt Linda back.

3) Railgun can hurt Pinkie.

4) Railgun can hurt Linda too.

5) Linda may not be able to hurt Railgun.

6) Pinkie might not be able to hurt Railgun either.

When you look at those cases alone, this whole thing might look really hopeless for her, that's true.

But, and this is just a but here...

 _... What if she adds a seventh item to that list?_


	14. The Candidate of Black - Part 1

Drop by drop, the incessant water continues to hit the window.

While one could certainly see some sort of rhythm in its wake, nothing of the sort can be heard now as thousands of sounds are strung together, overlapping to form what can only be called noise at this point. On the outside, the grey world covered by fog continues to stare into the lonely hospital room, its atmosphere notably heavy as if to say that displaying any sort of energy, any positive emotion, is outright prohibited.

But that sensation is not caused by grief, nor despair. Instead, amidst a world of rain which has lost its colors, what the lone brunette is feeling as she lies under the bed's covers, staring into the distant nothingness, is something wholly different from sadness, yet no less damning.

In other words, it's boredom.

It must have been the fifth time, or perhaps the sixth, that such an emotion—if the accursed thing can be called such—surged in her mind, only to slowly overtake her body and translate itself into pure laziness. Without any sort of human interaction, devoid of all methods of recharging her mood, not even mobile games sound interesting enough for IF to stretch her arm and grab a phone from the bedstand.

Which is sort of funny, considering how she spent the past hours waiting for her gaming phone to charge. It's like ordering something in a restaurant, only to find out you're not hungry anymore.

And this entire situation is because she's here, entrapped in this place separated from the rest of reality itself.

But why? Is it not possible for the girl to return to the Basilicom, her home, in any way? Even if it were necessary for her to wear restrictive contractions meant to keep her injury from worsening, being amongst acquaintances and friends would be far better than remaining in this prison-like room.

After all, why does a bird fly, if not because freedom is their most precious possession? Why does a fish swim, if not because he is allowed to do so? Even someone like her, a simple weapon of the Guild, should be free to feel, to think, to _live_ —

"Ah."

Just like that, IF blinks, staring blankly at Planeptune's skyline outside.

She's rambling. She's totally rambling, isn't she?

Groaning, the brunette slowly brings a hand to her face, taking care not to cause another burst of pain from her bandaged torso hidden underneath the white hospital gown. This atmosphere is _really_ getting to her, isn't it?

Absentmindedly, the girl glances at her left, where an empty stool sits by her bed. Some time ago, Puyo went out to grab something for them to lunch, but IF wouldn't exactly be surprised if she just sent back a nurse with some food and ran off. She _did_ have a bit too much fun teasing that maid, after all. It's actually somewhat amazing how that girl managed to stay here for so long.

Still, IF does hope Puyo comes back, if only to save her from this annoying sensation of isolation.

Letting out a big sigh, the currently inactive Guild member brings her hand back into the covers, once again directing her sight to the foggy city on the other side of the window.

Compared to her, Nepgear must be having so much fun right now...

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 ***Chapter 11***

 **The Candidate of Black - Part 1**

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Surprise. Shock. Disbelief.

Those terms and many similar others could certainly be used to describe Nepgear's current mental state. Needless to say, none of them is particularly befitting of her position as the Candidate of Planeptune, but, honestly, she can't find it in herself to care, even if her brain would usually jump at the chance of forming self-deprecating thoughts.

Said brain, after all, is at _point-blank range of a giant railgun_ , a weapon which is being wielded singlehandedly by another Candidate—whose existence was completely unknown to the lilac-haired girl, might she add—who doesn't seem particularly willing to sit down and have a calm conversation over tea.

Which is quite the shame, really. Nepgear could use some tea right now. Also a few games, to tell the truth. A couple comics would also be appreciated.

Basically, anything to help her cope with the fact that _there is a giant railgun thirty centimeters from her face._

 ** _What's happening here?!_**

"What's wrong? You were so talkative before," the newcomer who can only be Uni taunts her, no small amount of venom in her voice. "Can't cope with being called out on your crap, _traitor_?"

Were she in a better state of mind, Nepgear would likely have some sort of clever retort. Right now, however...

"W-What?" is all she manages to stammer instead, her panic only growing as she takes a step back.

All things considered, being able to reply at all was quite the accomplishment.

Not that it matters much to the silver-haired girl before her, though, as scarlet eyes narrow noticeably. "Don't you 'what' me, dammit! You know full well what I'm talking about!"

 _'N-No, I don't! At all!'_

This is just too much...! Nepgear didn't even _know_ there were other Candidates besides her in the current Gamindustri, and now the first one she meets is already aiming to make mincemeat out of her?!

Is she missing something?! Because it definitely feels like it!

Seeing the stunned expression on her face must be enough for Uni to put two and two together, for what escapes her lips seriously sounds like a growl. "For the love of—Do I need to spell everything out to you?!" she outright shouts, sounding far from friendly. "You're not in the Graveyard! You're free! Unlike everyone else, you're out here playing the hero! So, _please_ , 'Miss Nepgear,' _'the hope of Gamindustri,'_ would you kindly answer me one simple question?"

Before the lilac-haired girl can reply, the former ravenette furiously stomps forward, forcing her to take a step back lest the railgun impacts her face.

"Where."

And again.

"Is."

Once more.

"My."

The fourth time, the metallic platform beneath _distorts_ under the Lastationite Candidate's boot.

 **"SISTER?!"**

At the furious scream, Nepgear retreats whole three steps, as if being burned by the absolutely _hateful_ glare sent her way. On her face is an expression of pure terror, eyes wide open just as her breaths come hasty and ragged. Gone is any trace of determination or enjoyment which were there during the previous fight, replaced by the face of a weak little girl facing death itself.

And, honestly, that may as well be accurate. After all, standing before her, weapon in hand, is someone who looks incredibly _eager_ to **_destroy_** her!

Biting back a sob—she can't break down, not _now_!—the terrified girl does her best to open her mouth, giving the first answer which comes to mind. "W-We just couldn't save her! Please, I didn't want this—"

 **"Shut! Up!"** Uni shouts furiously, as if she hadn't just asked Nepgear a question. "They brought _you_ along, and look what happened! If it was me instead, if Noire had let me go too, I could have done _something_! Instead, they brought _you_ , some two-bit Candidate who can't speak a full sentence without choking on air! Useless wouldn't begin to describe you, I'm sure my sister would have fared much better if she didn't have _you_ to babysit!"

At that, the lilac-haired girl doesn't wince, and neither does she tremble. The painful stab to her very soul, the crushing wave of negative emotions which attack her entire being so suddenly, is far beyond what such simple reactions would be able to convey, after all. Disappointment, hate, pity, and innumerable others surge in her mind, all directed at _herself_.

To think a person she just met would be able to make her feel so small, so _insignificantly weak_...

Gritting her teeth, resisting the incomparable, childish urge to just throw her weapon down and cry, Nepgear focuses on her enemy, on her former acquaintance who turned on her moments earlier, the beginnings of tears stinging amethyst eyes. "I-I tried! I really did—"

"Just stop being so damn pitiful!" Uni screams at her, and this time she does wince. "You're a CPU Candidate, so act like it! Stop crying whenever it doesn't go your way! Stop being so damn _weak_! Every single part of your weakling self _**disgusts me**_!"

The lilac-haired girl can't find it in herself to respond, instead taking one more step back as a few stray tears finally descend her cheeks. How should she react to this?! What can she say?!

Rather, what can she _do_?! It's not like Nepgear can just get strong with just a thought, destroying everything in her path without batting an eyelash! She can't just wake up one day and decide to stop feeling fear, anxiety, and many other useless things she would have thrown away in a heartbeat if she could! She can't just raise a weapon, head to the Graveyard and defeat the CFWs whenever she feels like it!

Because that's _impossible_! Because that's **_delusional_**!

So... _So..._

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" the girl finds herself screaming at the top of her lungs, her voice absolutely _desperate_ in a way not even she knew possible.

Uni doesn't respond immediately, her features still holding the same fury, the same _hate_ as it has been for the past minute. Even so, it almost seems like she's thinking, wondering how to respond to the person before her who was inconsiderate enough to spring up such a question out of nowhere.

And then, after what feels like an eternity, she opens her mouth. In a voice unnaturally calm, the Candidate of Lastation makes a single statement.

"I want my sister back, you failure of a CPU."

What happens next is far too fast.

One instant, Nepgear hears a quiet whirling noise, just in time to see a faint light in the deepest parts of the railgun's barrel. Even for her, whose mind is taken by shock and disbelief, it's far beyond obvious what that signifies. Anyone with a trace of rationality would be able to deduce the meaning of such a sight.

That doesn't stop her legs from freezing up, however.

Neither does it stop the outright _crippling_ fear encroaching her entire being.

And then, just as a choked scream threatens to escape her lips—

"Don't lose focus, dammit!"

 ***CLANG***

Nepgear blinks, her surprise a perfect mirror of Uni's own. Suddenly, the railgun isn't pointing at her face anymore, instead turned towards the platforms and sea to her right. Along with the weapon are the other girl's—her enemy's?—right arm, the awkward movement completely breaking her stance as the Lastationite Candidate lurches to her left.

Even more surprising, however, is a single chain coming from somewhere behind the lilac-haired girl, its deformed length indicating that its end, somehow sent forward like a bullet, hit the large weapon right on time.

 ***VWOOOON***

It's then that a loud noise—a strange mixture of a cannon and several virtual filters—sounds as the railgun discharges its shot, the giant blue ball of energy flying above the platforms nearby and towards open sea. The recoil isn't by any means small as Uni, who was on the process of taking an instinctive step left, is sent to her right instead, destroying her attempts at regaining balance.

As if that wasn't enough, the chain suddenly moves, coiling around the Lastationite Candidate and eliciting a yelp from her. Before Nepgear can process what's happening, the girl is suddenly _yanked_ from her line of sight, with a loud, metallic impact sounding behind her.

All that happened in under three seconds.

Just as a pair of 'clangs' sound, the lilac-haired girl turns around, her wide eyes searching for many answers.

"H-Huh...?"

As it turns out, the day decided to get even more confusing, for the one and only Underling is standing not even five feet away, her back towards the Planeptunian Candidate as if to protect her, and chain strewn on the ground by her side. On a platform several meters away, disconnected from the one she's currently standing, is Uni's fallen form, the enemy Candidate firmly planted on the metallic floor.

"I... You... Um..."

Faced with such an insane turn of events—and all in the past two minutes to boot—Nepgear's body reacts appropriately.

... Which is another way of saying her legs give out from beneath her, bringing the girl to the floors with a noticeable noise.

Would now be a good time to break down?

"Alright..." Not even paying mind to Nepgear's panic, the underling takes a deep breath, as if to calm herself down. For some reason—as the lilac-haired girl has no idea what the elf is thinking—her right hand forms a fist, tightening around the chain. "That was... a bit too much..."

However, it's then that the Planeptunian Candidate notices it. That hand, the one Underling just moved...

It's trembling. Rather, her whole _arm_ is shaking ever so slightly.

Is this a side-effect of overusing her power...?

"Heh, this is just hilarious. For a CPU, a goddamned 'Defender of Gamindustri' of all people, to try and blast some scared gal without proper provocation..." the elf begins as the shaking slowly subsides, eyes fixated on her enemy as the silver-haired CPU slowly raises from the floor. "Man, you're just sad. What's wrong? Pinkie pushed a button? Reminded you of your own pitiful ass?"

"Shut. Up," Uni growls, using her railgun as support to climb to her feet. Looking absolute livid, the Candidate shoots a scarlet glare at the two girls before her, as if trying to burn them with a gaze alone. "This has nothing to do with you, so you either stay out of my way _or I'll kill you myself_."

"Yeah, yeah, suck it up." Underling waves a hand dismissively, her smirk almost _hearable_. Without waiting to see Uni's reaction, she glances back at Nepgear, her expression suddenly filled with barely concealed panic as she whispers just loud enough. "Get off your ass, would ya? I got no idea what the hell you did, but it's like she's on thirty-seven different periods at the same damn time and I _really_ don't wanna find out whether she's serious about what she just said!"

The lilac-haired girl just stares blankly.

"You insolent bitch...!" Uni growls—that's all she has been doing for a while now, to be honest—raising her railgun to point at her two enemies. "Who the hell do you think you are, picking a fight with a CPU...?!"

"An insolent bitch, your highness!" the elf answers with a grin, only for the expression to die out as she looks back at Nepgear. "For the love of—Get the hell up before she kills us dead, goddammit! Don't you wanna _survive_?!"

"...!"

As if awakened from a trance, the lilac-haired girl jolts in her spot. In that moment, her eyes darting between Uni, who has them right in her sights, and Underling, who at this point looks outright pleading.

In that instant, she finally gets it.

Nepgear does want to survive.

This isn't the time to panic; that'd just get her hurt—or worse, _killed_ once more. Being all pitiful and sitting down while a rather unfriendly acquaintance is right before her is the fastest way back to that dark void, after all; instead, the Planeptunian Candidate should push all her fear and uncertainty to the back of her mind, and at least hold her weapon tight enough to fight properly. Uni wants to belittle her and everything she believes in? That's fine; _great_ , even.

If she's looking for a fight, then Nepgear will give her one! And if Underling is willing to assist her, then who is she to complain?!

Admittedly, things are getting pretty confusing right now, but who cares?! She's the CPU Candidate of Planeptune! In her grasp is a weapon! And before her is an enemy!

There may have lots of questions floating in Nepgear's mind right now, that's true, but there's also one certainty in there amongst them.

 _She's about to give Uni a hard time._

 _'... As if.'_

The lilac-haired girl almost scoffs at her own thoughts, tempered and embellished by hours upon hours of reading similar monologues. What is she, the main character in one of those comics she reads? Nepgear can act tough all she wants, but that doesn't change how she wants nothing more than to turn tail and flee right now, neither does it erase the pain she still feels from Uni's words.

Chuckling to herself, she slowly raises from the floor, moving nearly a meter to the left amidst the movement—it wouldn't do to remain right behind Underling, after all. Without delay, the girl hops on her spot, but instead of falling as her momentum ends just a measly twenty centimeters above the platform, she remains floating, assuming a fencing stance with her blade forward as if her boots were still touching metal rather than nothing.

Isn't it funny? Nepgear, the CPU Candidate of Planeptune, blessed with divine powers, superhuman capabilities, and incredibly fragile emotions. It just doesn't make sense for her to ramble about not acting pitifully; she couldn't be more pitiful than usual even if she tried.

But at least she's not on the ground anymore, and her gunblade is held firmly in her right hand.

That's all she needs, really.

Unsurprisingly, it's then that a wide smirk finds its way to Underling's face. "Oh, neat. I was starting to think you forgot you could fly."

"I just feel more stable on the ground, is all," Nepgear answers with a small smile, her eyes meeting the elf's own. And she's saying the truth; it isn't as if minding your altitude and acceleration from all sides is easy. It may allow for more mobility, but when it comes to thinking every one of her moves through, the lilac-haired girl would much rather be a weird CPU who doesn't fly than a distracted CPU with some fancy moves. "But I don't think she'll give me any choice on the matter."

"Heh, true enough." With that, Underling directs her eyes towards the spot the Lastationite Candidate fell, even as her satisfied expression remains in place. "This ain't gonna be easy, but try not to waste everything you got. Wouldn't want me to beat you to a pulp up so easy after we're done with her."

"I could say the same to you," Nepgear responds automatically as she focuses on her enemy, a fellow CPU of all things. She's still standing there, her weapon aimed at then just as it was before. In that moment, the lilac-haired girl can't help but wonder why Uni didn't take a shot or just plain lunged at them ages ago. Sure, Underling would likely pull some sort of "shoot and I'll move" maneuver the instant the silver-haired girl telegraphed it, but it'd be a nice way to kickstart the fight, relatively speaking.

The stunned look on the Lastationite Candidate's face might have something to do with it, Nepgear realizes.

To be honest, she can sort of understand it. This whole situation is outright hysterical, after all; a CPU Candidate and an ASIC goon? Teaming up to fight another CPU Candidate who's nonsensically eager to engage in some team killing? It's no wonder Uni is flabbergasted at it—

"That stance..." the girl suddenly speaks up, her voice that of a ticking bomb just waiting to explode. "That... stance..."

—or, alternatively, it could be because it somehow escaped Nepgear's mind that Uni's anger issues are directly related to Noire, who uses this very same fencing stance, and it's not exactly a great idea to remind the silver-haired girl of her.

That hypothesis is given some credibility the instant a familiar yet quiet whirling sound begins, and the railgun's depths glow.

Oh, great.

 ***VWOOOON***

"Move!" Underling shouts as she dashes right, as if Nepgear needed any sort of warning to do the same to the left. The blue energy sphere sails past them, hitting the building behind them with a loud noise.

 _The building where Compa is, that is._

"Keep your mind in the game!" the elf shouts at her, noticing her concern before it can even form properly. "These things aren't made of paper, she's safer there than here!"

... Point taken.

Raising her gunblade, the lilac-haired girl points it at Uni, who's currently tracking the running ASIC member with her weapon, still in the same place as before. Without halting her airbone movement, circling around her enemy with a radius of several meters, Nepgear takes a shot, a pink energy bullet sailing towards the silver-haired girl.

It should have worked. Uni should have had her attention somewhere else.

So why did she just lean forward, letting the projectile pass behind her head harmlessly?

 _Why is the railgun pointing at Nepgear now?!_

 ***VWOOOON***

"?!"

Forcing her own acceleration to change, Nepgear inverts her movement and dashes right, just in time for the sphere to graze her side in a lightly burning sensation.

It wasn't much damage, true.

She still feels like panicking all the same.

 _'Uni is too attentive, what the goodness?!'_

 ***VWOOOON***

This time, the lilac-haired girl goes upwards to evade the shot, aiming her gunblade and letting loose a few projectiles of her own. They don't seem to mean much to the enemy CPU, however, who just leans and sidesteps out of the way of every single which comes, only to raise her railgun and use it as a shield for the last one.

Internally, Nepgear curses. This won't work... she'll need to get close and hope to the True Goddess that Uni can't deal with close quarters combat.

Good thing Underling had the same idea.

For she is right behind their enemy, pipe raised and ready to descend.

"Eat this!" the elf shouts just as it becomes clear that Uni can't possibly react to that. From her spot, Nepgear can see her glowing green eyes widening in surprise.

She can also see the girl turning around at an impossibly fast speed.

Just as well as she can see the railgun burying itself in the elf's side as if it was a club.

With a pained shout, Underling is sent flying from the hit alone, impacting a nearby platform two times before falling into the water with a loud "splash." Nepgear can only watch stunned as Uni simply turns back to her with a wide grin and eyes which just seem to say "nice try, except not."

"..."

What the hell.

 _What. The. Hell._

How come that girl can control her acceleration so well?! And she didn't even use a glyph, only her most basic capabilities as a CPU!

She's _**skilled**_!

Faced with such a sudden roadblock in the otherwise simple plan of beating her up, Nepgear sends her mind into overdrive, reviewing as many possible courses of action as she can.

Two seconds later she sends it all to hell, taking off towards the Lastationite Candiate.

"What's wrong, traitor?!" Uni shouts at her in the most mocking tone possible, aiming her railgun. "Out of ideas so soon?!"

Definitely, the lilac-haired girl muses as she moves to the side just enough to evade an energy sphere, growing closer and closer to her enemy. Fighting at a distance is suicide against a shooter, and close quarters combat seems to be something the silver-haired girl isn't exactly unused to. In mere moments after the beginning of this battle, Uni has already showed just how strong she is in essentially all the ways that matter.

Doesn't mean Nepgear won't try and wing it, though.

The Lastationite Candidate lets loose several more shots, only for the lilac-haired girl to evade all of them. It isn't even difficult, she muses; those things just go in straight lines!

Thirty meters remain.

Feeling her determination return, Nepgear can't help but let a smile reach her face. Looks like this won't be so difficult after all.

As if hearing her thoughts, Uni's own cheer disappears, a scowl replacing her grin. Her railgun discharges yet another shot, but this one is different; rather than a single powerful projectile, it instead lets out three balls of energy in different directions, only for them to slowly join together. It doesn't even take an instant for the lilac-haired girl to understand what it means; she either needs to slow down or fly right past the point where the projectiles will meet.

And she's not slowling down _now_.

Twenty meters are left.

Accelerating even further, creating a white glyph and breaking it in a single moment, Nepgear manages to go past the orbs of energy before they can touch, only doing so already behind her.

Five meters left.

She's finally there. Uni is right before her, looking about panicked at the prospect of what's about to happen. Instinctively, she aims the railgun at the Planeptunian Candidate's incoming form. Nepgear can only smirk at that; it won't work, not at this point. Without delay, she swerves to the left, intent on doing whatever she can to deal some damage—

"?!"

In a single instant, it's as if the girl's entire world has crumbled.

Because, upon her command, she didn't move as well as her mind ordered her body to.

 _Because she's too fast for that to be possible._

 ** _And she's still in front of the railgun._**

 ***VWOOOON***

It's bright.

That's the girl's first thought as the shot comes, this time less wide and yet more dense than the giant spheres from before.

Turns out it's actually a giant _laser_ , Nepgear thinks. Then, as a burning sensation washes over her body...

She doesn't think anymore.

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

 **It hurts.**

 **Everything hurts.**

She's... sitting... somewhere. It's cold... underneath is cold for some reason.

 **And why is her whole body burning?**

Letting out a choked gasp, Nepgear opens her eyes to see what's going on, but only her left one obeys. Why doesn't her right eye open? Why is everything blurry?

 **Why does everything hurt?**

Gray... it's all gray. Some spots look... distorted, for some reason. Is that... a TV? A bookshelf?

What is that... bright light right in front of her? It hurts... It hurts to look at it... It hurts to move the one eye which wants to listen to her brain.

Filled with something akin to curiosity, Nepgear leans forward, towards the light—

 **"?!"**

Suddenly, a sharp pain hits her torso, just in time for the girl to cough... something. It feels like a liquid of some sort... saliva? No, it's somewhat different...

Paying it no mind, Nepgear still tries to raise to her feet, ignoring the sensation of dull blades impaling her stomach, legs and even her head. She manages to place a boot on the ground, despite its numerous protests, and tries to push herself up—

 ***thud***

 **"!"**

When she hits the metallic ground, it feels like she just fell on a bed of tall spikes. Her entire body screams at her to stop, to just rest a bit, but that wouldn't do...

Nepgear needs to find Compa. She's a medic, right...? She has to know what to do...

Intent on continuing on her way, Nepgear tries to raise her right arm to pull herself forward along the ground. Just as she does, however, the girl pauses.

... Ah. That explains why it wasn't hurting as much as everything else before.

It's short. There's some red all over it... and it's definitely far shorter than usual...

That's... That's good... It can't hurt if it's not there...

Directing her unfocused eyes forward, the lilac-haired girl brings up her left arm instead, clawing at the ground in front of her...

Ah... Something sharp is under some of her nails...

Wait, no... That one finger doesn't even have a nail there... That explains all the red flowing out...

 **It hurts... Inhumanly so...**

But... it's no more than everything else, she supposes...

Pulling her own body forward, ignoring all the stray pieces of... something... on the ground, the girl grows closer and closer to the light...

It's leaking... There's something leaking... Out of her torso, her legs, even the back of her head...

Seeing something weird by the corner of her vision, Nepgear cranks her head to the right, ignoring how it feels like ripping something out...

Oh... By the wooden table... Is that... her boot...? Also her stockings... They're not empty either...

"..."

Weird... She was sure that they were hurting before...

It's strange... Pain... is strange...

Ignoring that, the girl looks at the light once again, pulling herself towards it. It's fine... Everything will be fine... She's not even panicked... Her breathing is normal, see...? Slow... Slow... Slowing... down...

Ah... There's not enough air...

How... unfortunate...

But it's there... The light is right there...

Little by little, it grows brighter...

She's in front of it... There are a bunch of edges around it, now that she's close enough... It's like... a hole teared out in paper...? Why are some parts of it red...?

Didn't Underling say... the buildings were not paper...?

Liar... She's a meanie... Mean people lie all the time...

Nepgear should tell Neptune... She'll make Underling stop being a meanie...

By the way... she's late, isn't she...? Big sister... said they'd... play together today... didn't she...? She'll be all grumpy... if Nepgear isn't there...

Wait... Is that... someone beyond the light...? They're all black... and wearing... a skirt...? What's with that hair, too...? Something like... ribbons?

She's just... standing there... watching... Nepgear...? Why...? You don't... just stare... at people... you weirdo...

Histoire would... lecture you...

But... she doesn't... have time... to call her...

Nepgear... is late... Neptune... will be... mad...

Neptune... Neptune...

...

...

...

"Nep... tune..."

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

 _Dark... It's all dark... Why is it dark...?_

 _Someone should... pay the light bill..._

 _Hehehe... Hehe..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _Nepgear gasps, her suddenly breathing erratic as if awakening from an horrible nightmare._

 _That may as well be what just happened, after all._

 _What was that...?! It was all wrong, no matter how she looks at it! The battle, her choices, and even—_

 _"..."_

 _As she remembers her most recent memories, a shudder runs through her body. If this were the real world, Nepgear has no doubt she'd be parting with everything she ate this morning._

 _Taking a deep breath, the girl attempts to gather her thoughts. First things first, she was completely off-balance in that fight; the thought of using grenades or knives never even crossed her mind! As if that wasn't enough, she just rushed towards a gun which was pointing at her, without even wondering if that couldn't end badly!_

 _How much HP she had? 80%? 70%? Clearly not enough to withstand a damage burst skill to the face, that much is obvious given the aftermat—_

 _"Ugh..."_

 _At the mere thought, Nepgear shivers, the bloody images still very clear in her mind._

 _It was like her mind simply shut off to preserve energy back then. And to essentially regain its full capabilities after going through such a thing..._

 _In a way, it really does feel like trying to remember a hazy nightmare after waking up. Difference being that she actually_ ** _can_** _remember every single detail her dying brain managed to gather._

 _... Unfortunately._

 _Shaking her head to get rid of such thoughts, Nepgear—_

 ** _That was her dismembered leg back then, wasn't it?!_**

 ** _How much of her body was not destroyed?!_**

 _Gritting her teeth, Nepgear throws her head forward, feeling somewhat surprised when it does hit a wall-like surface as intended. More material for nightmares... Just what she needed._

 _Okay... She has to stop thinking about it... No wondering whether her side was torn open... No thoughts about how it may have looked from the eyes of a witness..._

 _Hey, that was Uni back then, wasn't it?_

 _Gosh, Nepgear is actually quite glad she never managed to see that girl's face. Whether it showed joy or horror, chances are it'd never fade from her mind._

 _Now, back to business as usual. Plain non-bloody, non-dismembered and non-dying business._

 _The lilac-haired girl puts her mind—or whatever else she has right now in this fake doll-like body—to work, a pensive expression crossing her face. To call her latest iteration an idiot would be a massive understatement; she was so overtaken by the ludicrous situation that she became a brainless piece of artificially-created meat on the spot. Back then Nepgear thought she sounded like some sort of tactician, but now that she thinks aboout it, she was literally rushing to her death._

 _And speaking about death, did Uni really intend to kill her—_

 ** _Oh, heck, she's thinking about it again._**

 ** _Forget, forget, forget the blood, forget the death, goodness, just forget everything!_**

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _... Done. For now._

 _Back to the question, was her death part of the ravenette's plan?_

 _The Planeptunian Candidate feels a cold shiver descending her back at the thought. Logic dictates she's just angry and lashing out at the world, but logic isn't always enough to lead the way. That person might be a psychopath for all she knows, completely willing to murder as many people as possible if it means there's a bloody lilac-haired girl on the ground by the end of it._

 _It might sound like too much, but Nepgear's not taking her chances._

 _'Why did I have to run into her at the Guild...? It's so statistically unlikely...'_

 _Nepgear can faintly remembers telling herself that luck is still a thing just yesterday._

 _How fun. Turns out she was wrong._

 ** _Is there any time her failed self isn't wrong?_**

 _"... Huh."_

 _Nepgear blinks, somewhat surprised by that thought just now. It's been quite a while since the last time her mind has been so antagonistic. Then again, it's not exactly uncalled-for following her most recent feats._

 _She didn't even survive more than two minutes in a head-on battle against Uni, and that was with Underling serving as a bait. Even worse, despite dying, she's not even sure whether it was on purpose or the product of her own actions._

 _Honestly, that sort of uselessness is pretty much an achievement, even for her._

 _Crossing her arms, the girl lets out a big sigh. This doesn't feel nice... Not at all. Nepgear can already feel that she's not shrugging this off any time soon. Even now, she can remember the images quite vividly—_

 _She gasps._

 _Blood. So much **blood.**_

 ** _All over her._** ** _It's bleeding. Everything is bleeding. Her arm—there is no arm, it's all red, flowing out nonstop._**

 ** _She's dying, there's no doubt, she's dying, her life is fading, she can feel the blood escaping her skin, her head, her back, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, help, someone stop it, she's dying, help, Neptune, she's dying, it's torn, her body is all torn, Neptune, make it stop, make it all stop, Neptune, Neptune, NEPTUNE, HELP, PLEASE, STOP IT—_**

 _"...!"_

 _The lilac-haired girl's focus suddenly returns. It's cold, her entire body is cold, horrible chills descending her spine nonstop as her breaths come ragged, looking like she just ran a marathon. If she were real and not a simple doll in this space, her heart would be hammering in her chest, as if begging to escape the terror that is her own mind._

 _She's also hugging herself, in a fetal position._

 _When did that happen?_

 _Gulping despite the action holding no meaning in this void, fully expecting her nightmares to come back any moment, the Planeptunian Candidate shakily returns to her feet, despite there not being any ground to stand on._

 _So... She just had a panic attack, Nepgear muses, attempting to get her emotions in check._

 _Not surprising in the slightest, but it was pretty delayed this time... Then again, in the state her mind is, that's not exactly impossible to happen._

 _" ***Sniff***..."_

 _... Ah._

 _These are tears. Rolling down her cheeks, these are definitely warm, salty tears._

 _The girl blinks. How unexpected; she didn't even notice when they began. Rather, Nepgear was under the impression she'd need to actively imagine something like this in order for it to happen, given the apparent rules of this strange place._

 _Then again, maybe desire is more than enough to make something real here. That sort of makes sense_ _... She definitely feels like crying right now, so she is, simple as that._

 _And, maybe... maybe crying for a while would help her a lot right now... Babies do that to calm themselves, don't they...?_

 _'I mean, it's not like it'll make me any more pitiful... Hahaha...'_

 _And so, with that in mind, the girl promptly plops down on an invisible ground, hugging her legs close as the tears continue to fall. If anyone were to see her like this, they would probably call her out on being weak, tell her to snap out of it and keep fighting._

 _But they wouldn't understand. No one would._

 _At the very least she's not aware of anyone else who has experienced their own mind fading away, all the while witnessing the terrible damage done to their body._

 _Perhaps the most haunting detail is not what she has seen, but what she felt. B_ _ecause, back then, Nepgear found herself not caring, maybe even not understanding, that she was dying._

 _Which only makes those memories even more horrifying now._

 _So she continues to cry, not caring in the slightest about maintaining appearances._ _It's shameful, unsightly, and many other hurtful words which she already used to classify herself before, but so what? Nepgear is a failure, perhaps the biggest one to date when it comes to CPUs; might as well start acting the part, right? No harm in following her role faithfully and such..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _... No._

 _The Planeptunian Candidate shakes her head, wiping off her tears with a naked arm._

 _She can't. Not now._

 _It's true that just remembering what happened hurts a lot; as expected, she feels outright **terrified** of going back. Goodness, she'd give anything to be able hug Neptune right now, just to feel a little bit better!_

 _But that's impossible. Because her sister is in the Graveyard, held captive by ASIC._

 _Because Nepgear still has to save her before even having the right to think about embracing her._

 _Which is why, until this is over, she can't allow herself to break any further, not deliberately at least. If she lets her tears roll free whenever the desire comes, who's to say she won't start bawling when the time for action comes? Who's to say it won't worsen her chances to succeed even further, or perhaps outright kill her?_

 _It's just not worth it. Not at all._

 _Once again raising to her feet, Nepgear rubs the few remaining tears off her purple eyes, storing away—no, **forcing down** these undesirable emotions, at least for the time being._

 _Now, back to being strong... Well, as strong as she can be._

 _Taking a deep breath, she attempts to focus once again. Where was she...? Oh, yes, the planning phase... Let's see how this goes..._

 _First of all, Uni is the Lastationite Candidate. That was unexpected. The lilac-haired girl thought she was the only one, but maybe they were hidden away as they grew up or something; that'd certainly be appropriate in the current hostile world. That would also imply that girl is several years younger, for if she were as old as Nepgear and born in a relatively more stable time, chances are she wouldn't have been hidden away in the first place._

 _Secondly, it looks like Uni blames her for either letting Noire, the Lastationite CPU, be captured, or not saving her. At least that's how it seemed like back there. Nepgear... has no proper argument against that; she was too weak to do anything, and the thought alone stings._

 _Thirdly, Uni is powerful. Perhaps overly so. Or maybe the lilac-haired girl just didn't fight to her own full potential, but that doesn't change how her fellow Candidate is still dangerous. The best option would be to avoid a fight, but..._

* * *

 **"I want my sister back, you failure of a CPU."**

* * *

 _The Planeptunian CPU winces at the memory, perhaps the most hurtful words she has ever heard, if only because of their context._

 _Yeah, Uni is definitely not stepping down without a fight... Unless..._

 _Feeling an idea blossoming in her mind, Nepgear wills the timeline to appear before her, the collection of large, rectangular images sharing her height and interconnected by white lines doing just that with a familiar buzzing noise. Incidentally, the newest one, standing tall right before her, displays an irate Uni pointing her railgun at the supposed camera, a bright light glowing deep into its barrel._

 _So, half a second before a fight starts. And taking in consideration the delay necessary for the lilac-haired girl to regain her bearings..._

 _Okay, that settles it. It's another obligatory Boss, unless Nepgear is willing to go back to the battle against Nepugia._

 _Needless to say, she's not; that's just so much time and effort wasted. In order to be more efficient, it'd be best to keep moving forward until the moment she either reaches her goal or a dead end, lest she spend an eternity perfecting a single moment._

 _In other words, there goes avoiding the battle altogether._

 _Letting out a big sigh of disappointment, the girl continues to think. What tools does she have at her disposal to use against Uni?_

 _There is her gunblade, knives, grenades, scarf, also Underling too..._

 _A frown mars her lips. Had she been in a better state of mind, she **definitely** would have been able to do some damage against Uni before._

 _As for skills, she has a few elemental slashes, some abysmally amateurish healing—she really has to work on that, asking Compa about it is a must—Mirage Dance to attack really fast for a short while, and a defensive buff which she **really** should have used on Underling. _

_There is also Slash Wave, a technique Nepgear thought of just now which involves shooting a wave of mana from her sword like a grounded projectile. This upcoming battle isn't the best time to test a new idea out, of course, but if she has the chance, might as well take it._

 _Furthermore, according to the training room back home, it turns out the lilac-haired girl also packs a mean punch, so maybe she could use glyphs to accelerate it just to see what happens..._

 _All in all, it's not a bad selection. Far from decent when compared to the top Hunters in Gamindustri, but certainly a nice one to keep herself from dying once more._

 _Then again, that might not be enough. Fighting Uni would be far easier if she had some kind of support..._

 _"... Compa!"_

 _Nepgear's eyes widen as the realization comes. Of course! Why didn't she think of that before?! She should have scrambled to the nurse's side and woken her up!_

 _If she's not dead, that is... It'd be very disappointing to find out this newest save point is essentially moot because Underling felt like killing someone._

 _The lilac-haired girl would also make sure the elf was the first to die before finding a way to off herself... Maybe. It all depends on whether Nepgear can find it in herself to take revenge properly if that time ever comes—And now that she thinks about it, this is a pretty disturbing line of thought, so maybe it'd be better to move on from it._

 _In any case, this is it, she supposes. She has to get Compa while Underling distracts Uni, preferably without dying in the process. Then they'll fight her off, then do the same to the ASIC member if she refuses to go away peacefully after all the confusion._

 _Suddenly, a thought crosses Nepgear's mind._

 _If Underling died... would she retry for her?_

 _'... Yes. But only if she didn't harm Compa.'_

 _Surprisingly, the answer comes rather easily._

 _That's right. Enemy or not, it's just not her style to let a nice person die in front of her. Whether the brute, big-mouthed elf is evil or simply on a different side is what will decide her fate should she fall in battle._

 _"..."_

 _At that, Nepgear can't help but chuckle to herself. Goodness, it's like she's trying to sound like a cool comic character or something!_

 _But that doesn't matter. Right now, there are many other things more important than being embarrassed at her own cliché thoughts._

 _Bringing her eyes to the image in front of her, holding in the desire to shudder at the weapon in the Lastationite Candidate's grasp, Nepgear takes a deep breath. Slowly, she reaches for it with her right hand..._

 _Only for it to stop right before touching its surface._

 _As expected, hesitation floods her mind. It's not really a rational reaction—this is currently the most efficient path forward, after all—but she can't help but be afraid of what she'll face there._

 _It's stupid, but these are her feelings, and if there was a way to erase them, she'd do so in a heartbeat._

 _Something which Uni doesn't seem to realize._

 _"..."_

 _Actually, she didn't seem interested in hearing Nepgear out at all, now that she thinks about it. Instead, it was like she wanted nothing more than to make the lilac-haired girl suffer horribly just to make herself feel better._

 _That notion brings a certain feeling to the Planeptunian Candidate's mind. It's not something which she would call familiar, but, as it slowly blossoms into something larger, it feels like she should be able to identify it anyway..._

 _... Ah. That's right._

 _Balling her left hand into a fist, Nepgear narrows her eyes, glaring at the impossible picture before her_ _. This isn't just one feeling, not at all; rather, it is a whole bunch of those, mixed and fused together in order to form what can only be described as an outright tempest inside her very being._

 _Annoyance, at being betrayed and then promptly assaulted by a fellow CPU Candidate of all people._

 _Exasperation, at suffering like a punching bag for no reason other than Uni's insane reasoning._

 _Jealously, at how that girl is so powerful despite being likely much younger than Nepgear._

 _Anger, at the way she used that power to hurt and **murder** the lilac-haired girl instead of helping her save the CPUs._

 _Desire, at the notion of delivering some pay-back on that backstabber of a CPU who she put her trust on without a second thought._

 _And **hate** , at the world itself which decided to turn her peaceful and comfortable life into a living hell built by death and suffering overnight._

 _None of these emotions is something to be proud of, that much is beyond obvious._

 _However, that's not to say they aren't more than welcome right now._

 _Growling under her breath, the Planeptunian Candidate feels her determination raising, even if for less than commendable reasons. At every thought, at every memory, what was just a tiny spark which the innocent girl from long ago would put out in a heartbeat slowly becomes a small fire, allowed to fester on its surroundings without interruption by the worse person she became._

 _Histoire would likely admonish her for it, but she finds herself not caring at all. Rather, she's actually banking on it turning into a huge blaze later on, if only to present her with an even bigger drive to go on._ _After all, when you can't do it on selfless alone, there's nothing wrong with looking for other ways to push yourself forward, right?_

 _It's a shame she's not like one of those eternally heroic comic characters, the Planeptunian Candidate muses. Still, she can't help but look forward to what will happen now... Just a bit._

 _Because if that Uni girl thinks it's so fun to lash out like an animal when the pressure is just too much to bear, then maybe Nepgear should try a hand at it._ _Who knows? It might be fun to give her a dose of her own medicine._

 _And the best part?_

 _She's not going berserk right now._

 _Nepgear is completely aware of her faults and past mistakes, she remembers quite clearly what her carelessness already caused, so she's not going berserk right now._

 _Rather, she's just worked up._ _Very, **very** worked up, but simply worked up nonetheless._

 _It's a strange state, one the Planeptunian Candidate wouldn't hesitate to call a violent form of enlightenment. It's as if she's fully aware that the power she wields is dangerous to her mind, but also that said self-awareness serves as a powerful protection to her sanity._

 _In other words, she's definitely mad, but it's that sort of calm mad in which you simply acknowledge the need to bash that person's head in._

 _Which is exactly why the lilac-haired girl doesn't spare a second thought before **punching** the image, right on Uni's face. At the action, she feels a sudden eagerness to repeat it on the real deal._

 _"I'll show her..." Nepgear mumbles through her grit teeth, readying herself to for the incoming battle. Many contradicting emotions choose this instant to attack her, but it's not as if any of them can change what's about to happen._

 _Nothing can do that now._

 _As always, a crack of light crosses the void._

 ** _"I'll definitely show her!"_**

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 _ **Well... I'm late.**_

 ** _Not sure what to say about that. I mean... holidays are coming up, so there's that, I suppose. Maybe I'll actually catch up to the schedule then._**

 ** _In any case, looks like this will end up technically being a three-parter. This is especially bad given how much time I seem to take to update..._**

 ** _So, um... Please don't kill me? Hahahaha..._**

 ** _In my defense, it was that or burn myself out on a 20k chapter. It's pretty obvious which option I'd rather choose._**

 ** _I'm pretty sure some people will think this one chapter is completely unnecessary and could be cut off without losing anything important, but do try to think about how being killed by Uni would affect Nepgear's behavior towards her. Hint: not in a good way._**

 ** _With that said, I better start writing ASAP! Gotta transcribe my next delusion, after all._**

 ** _Until then!_**

 ** _P.S.: Yes. I did, as a matter of fact, turn Nepgeo into Nepugia. The previous chapters will be edited to reflect that whenever I have the time, which should be the moment this exam I'm doing right now comes to an end. May as well keep the current official translation, no?_**

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"Hmmm~ Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm~ Hm, hm, hm, hm~~ Hm, hm~"

Humming to herself, Nepugia prances about through the crowds with a big smile. The way she is, pretty much anyone with either functioning eyes or ears would be able to tell that she's happy, and why shouldn't she be?

After all, here she is, in the capital of Lastation, on a romantic date with her credit card under the kinda cloudy yet nice sky! And to think this whole incredible situation came from a sudden unexplainable desire to head to the Land of Black Regality...!

So what if there are crowds everywhere?! The same could be said for shops with a bunch promotion signs glued to their windows! Just today, the doppelganger has already spent 40,000 Credits in what would usually cost way over a hundred big kays!

That's a win in her book, diary, online document file, and anything else she can use to write! If she had a pen, paper and the will to do something stupid and unnecessary, the lilac-haired girl would gladly transcribe her nice, warm feelings through a bunch of flowery words like a freshman in poetry class!

Nepugia giggles at her own thought, attracting a few glances from hormonal teenagers nearby, male and female alike.

It sure is nice being pretty, but all these eyes better look away; today she's with Sir Credit Card, and he ain't lettin' them get none of this!

With a spring under her step, the girl turns to enter the next shop, this one displaying weapons and potions alike on its windows. As expected, the sharp-dressed female attendant inside gives her smile from behind the counter, her long blonde hair waving as she turns to the entrance, amber eyes looking as welcoming as possible, and—Oh, how cute! She thinks Nepugia doesn't see the hungry, greedy look beneath her expression!

Who knows? Maybe if she asks real nice, the lilac-haired girl might buy an inconsequential trinket or two~

With a chuckle, Nepugia enters the store, eyeing its interior. Some nice black wallpapers, air-conditioning, a red carpet... Goodness, the owner really wants to make this place feel fancy!

How stupid. If you sell instruments to fight, the last thing you should worry about is appearances.

Still, if they have the money to waste in that, surely the merchandise must be decent, the lilac-haired girl muses.

Well, it better be, or else she'll blast this store to smithershins on Leanbook!

With that in mind, she immediately moves to check out the metallic weapon racks by the wall on her left. There are some normal swords, laser swords, pistols, some kind of curved blade, a few chains—who would buy those, really?— and even a big-ass shotgun!

... Wait.

 _A big-ass shotgun._

As realization hits her, purple eyes almost start sparkling as the girl moves closer to the weapon, its form held firmly by the pair of two-pronged metallic supports raising from the surface beneath.

A gunbrella.

 _She can totally remake her gunbrella!_

And who cares if nobody else would it ever call it that way?! A gunbrella is a gunbrella to Nepugia, and that's final!

A wide grin crosses the girl's lips as she slowly reaches for it, as if faced by a holy relic rather than a random weapon in some fancy-looking store—

 _ **"I'll... show her...!"**_

"?!"

Nepugia freezes, feeling a shiver descending her spine.

Was that... a voice? And a distant, hazy one, at that?

Blinking, the girl looks around herself, her cheerful expression long gone. She doesn't even care for the attendant looking strangely at her.

The doppelganger needs an explanation. She requires verily much some sort of explanation.

Because, whatever is going on, it's creeping her out real bad.

After all, what she just heard right wasn't just any random voice, no.

 _It was her own voice, saying something she never did._

 _'Nepgear...?!'_


	15. The Candidate of Black - Part 2

As white envelopes her world, two simple thoughts cross Nepgear's mind.

First of all, she has no plan.

Be it for being overcome by emotion—or simply unused to such circumstances—the lilac-haired girl ended up completely forgetting about it. In a normal situation, she'd be kicking herself for messing up in such an outrageously idiotic manner because, as common sense dictates, not fumbling around is generally a good thing. Swinging her weapons aimlessly is literally the opposite of that.

Secondly, that doesn't matter.

At all.

This isn't a normal situation by any meaning of the word; she's fighting the closest thing to a full-fledged goddess, for goodness' sake, her own similar status notwithstanding! Against the likes of Uni, against a CPU Candidate of all things, any attempt to follow a pattern would inevitably end up backfiring spectacularly.

To plan things out meticulously would simply be to set herself up for a high-risk, probably suicidal improvisation when things inevitably go wrong.

Unpredictable and wild, like a starving monster hunting for its prey... or an angry child throwing a tantrum. That would be how Nepgear would describe the supposedly divine being who is playing the role of her enemy—someone whose actions can't possibly be foreseen on a larger scale, who can accidentally tear through carefully set traps with a sudden whim.

As such, for this battle, she has no choice but to rely on instantaneous and short-lived tactics; when engaging Uni, every scratch Nepgear manages to land will be as important as a powerful stab, just as every hit her body takes might mean death somewhere down the road.

It's almost like a gamble, except much more dangerous.

The realization should have terrified Nepgear, left her legs shaking and her breathing uneven at the very least. And yet, as her surroundings begin to make sense, as colors, sounds and sensations start reaching to her, she can only smile.

Suddenly, her mind catches up with reality. Held by her right hand is a gunblade, and pointing at her face is the same dark railgun which claimed her life not even twenty minutes ago, in her enemy's right grasp as usual—

 ***CLANG***

—only for it to be pushed to the right by a familiar chain not one second later, the metallic object once again coming from somewhere behind Nepgear. As expected, the result is a reenactment of the same scene as before: a suprised Candidate whose right arm is going to the left despite her stance, and whose clouded mind can't understand why her weapon just changed directions.

Just like last time, the railgun discharges its shot, destroying Uni's already awkward footing as she's thrown opposite to the projectile, as if someone had tackled her with all their strength. The chain recedes, preparing to ensnare the silver-haired girl like a snake the same way it did earlier.

Nepgear's smile widens, and she can't help but wonder how it might look to her enemy.

No chances of playing the mastermind? Having to focus on instincts and momentary advantages?

Without hesitation, she takes a step forward, reaching closer to the panicked girl about to be caught by the chain.

Honestly, that sort of thing only makes things easier.

Not missing a beat, she pulls her clenched left hand back, swerving to the right to avoid the metallic rope defying gravity by her side.

Simply put, all that means is there's no delicate plan to be shattered.

Following up, she wills a small white acceleration glyph to appear by her elbow; the technique, usually practiced by a CPU when the need to take off fast arises, once again reveals another use, much like it did in the previous battle.

Incidentally, the lack of a complex strategy also means one other thing.

A "crack" sounds, its meaning easily understood by all present—should they manage to form a coherent line of thought in a split-second, that is.

When playing a game such as chess, one must know when to attack and when to defend in order for everything to work out well. Should a player be too greedy and act on the offensive at the wrong moment, it's only fair that their plan would suffer greatly from that single whimsical moment, possibly dooming the entire game from then on.

However, there's no such issue here. As outrageous as such a notion might sound, rash, bold and simply barbaric maneuvers have no consequences as long as one is completely aware of their actions and, most importantly, prepared to nullify whatever of the enemy's attempts to exploit such. Basically, the key being aware that any and everything can go wrong in an instant.

In other words?

Not even the quiet, reasonable voice in the back of Nepgear's mind has any qualms against delivering a magically accelerated knuckle straight to Uni's face.

 ***BAM*** "HMF?!"

Which is exactly what she does, not even three seconds after returning from the void.

As expected from the enhanced attack, Uni's head is sent back, and with it goes the rest of her body as she falls backwards, no doubt dazed from receiving a sudden punch from someone she had just written off as not being a threat.

In terms Neptune would probably use, _she just got stunned_.

 _Hard._

 _'And now...!'_

Making a few changes to the gravitational field around her in the way any CPU can, Nepgear leaps back, and with her right hand the girl flings no less than _four_ fragbangs she had materialized moments earlier towards her enemy. Still floating in the air, she covers her eyes with both arms, and then—

 ***BOOO—* *BO—* *BOOO—* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM***

Somewhere in the middle of that, there was a shriek. Nepgear is sure of it.

That's why she can't stop smiling, actually.

Moving her arms out of the way, the Planeptunian Candidate stares at the spot Uni once was, now painted black by the stunt she just pulled. As for her enemy, she's easily spotted lying on her back on the metallic pathway several meters away, railgun missing as she stares blankly at the sky, no doubt attempting to process what just happened before proceeding.

To be honest, Nepgear can't fault her for it.

She _can_ , however, feel incredibly pleased about it. The fact thal Uni's HP lost a good 10% on that alone only enhances the feeling.

It's weird, in a way, how she feels none of those emotions which plagued her mind the first time around; rather, it's like they were all replaced by the intense desire to hit Uni until the former ravenette feels like being reasonable for once. It's almost as if something shifted insider her just moments ago: instead of a difficult battle with innumerable variables and possibilities, all the lilac-haired girl sees before her is a simple situation with an even simpler win condition.

Fact: her sister and friends are trapped in the Graveyard.

Fact: Nepgear must become strong and save them from the CFWs.

Fact: obtaining allies and Mascots is the way to go.

Fact: Uni doesn't seem willing to be an ally.

Fact: she also happens to be in the way.

Goal: get the crazy girl off the road.

Neither fear, hesitation, joy or happiness are factored at all, if only because of how _basic_ this whole thing feels to the girl now. For whatever reason, understanding the path to follow suddenly feels easier than an online point-and-click game not even a bored person would play.

What surprises her the most, however, is how she didn't see it before.

Is this the result of looking at everything from an outsider's point of view back in the void? Or is it connected to how _focused_ Nepgear feels this time, as opposed to flailing around like a headless chicken? Perhaps it has something to do with her burning desire to teach Uni a lesson for her infuriatingly backstabbing and obstrusive ways? Or maybe this change of disposition is actually one of the nicer side-effects of the lilac-haired girl's own growing mental instability?

Well, as long as it helps her stay alive a bit longer, Nepgear isn't complaining.

"Uhhhh..."

... Ah.

Right, she totally forgot about her, Nepgear realizes as she turns towards the voice.

Said "her" is standing there by the edge of the platform—having somehow crossed the water gap between the spot she was on before and this one—holding onto the chain now fallen on the ground and slowly lowering her pipe arm, no doubt having shielded her eyes from the earlier flash. Also, she looks confused. _Very_ confused.

That is to say, completely and utterly dumbfounded.

To which Nepgear simply flashes an incredibly satisfied smile at her.

"I'll go grab Compa for some extra help. Try not to die, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, trusting the elf to understand the message, she takes off flying towards the very same decently sized metallic building the nurse was standing on before, connected directly to the platform beneath her feet by a short pathway.

To be honest, as much as she'd love to swap their roles and be the one to hold off Uni, being sort of immortal and all that, there's no guarantee Underling won't just run off this time now that circumstances are different. Even if that wasn't the case, the notion of letting a terrorist near a likely unconscious or just otherwise incapacitated Compa sounds a bit too... risky for her liking.

... Wait.

"Ah, that's right!" The lilac-haired suddenly stops as she reaches the transparent glass doors, turning back to the elf. "She's really strong, so don't do anything too risky!" she shouts at the dazed-looking girl. "Imagine her like one of those villains who shrug off special attacks in their introductions to show how strong they are!"

With that long-winded warning out of the way, the Planeptunian Candidate pushes the doors open and shoots off into the building, not wasting a single moment more to begin her search for the nurse—

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—which leaves Linda to stare at her general direction, _really_ not sure about what just went on.

"..."

Slowly, she directs her sight to the similarly confused-looking Railgun broad right there, slowly climbing to her feet. For a moment, they simply trade looks, as if wondering whether that stuff just now actually happened.

"..."

"..."

... Well, no use dwelling on it. She _really_ didn't expect Pinkie to have it in her, but now's not the time to go all blue screen from shock.

Not when there's a CPU wannabe right there, starting to look mad again.

Without a word, the elf raises her pipe, forcing a determined look to her features, if only because that's way better than looking dumb all day. At the same time, sparkles begin to gather around Miss Railgun's right hand, forming another weapon identical to the first one in just a few seconds and pointing it at the greenette.

Linda gulps, trying to maintain her brave face.

This right now? Wasn't part of the plan.

At all.

Still, no use backing out now, she decides, putting her mind to work. Running is pretty much suicide, if the big gun means anything, and while she'd love to just rush in and hit the broad as fast as possible, doing the exact opposite of what Pinkie said and taking that sort of gamble doesn't sound exactly smart.

Even if they're not exactly friends, Linda's pretty sure that chick wants her to stay alive for a little longer, if only because she's supposed to postpone this broad's plans to make Planeptune-style CPU barbecue. As such, that advice couldn't have been anything but helpful.

... Probably.

In other words, all she can do is not die and hope to hell that Pinkie didn't just haul ass.

"Seems like it's just you and me now," Linda begins, bringing a grin full of fake confidence upon her features, just as many times before. "Can't say I'm a good dancer, though. Sorry if I step on your everything a couples times."

In reply, the focus of today's show just raises an unamused eyebrow—not really the response the greenette hoped for. "Quite the mouth you have. Care to say what's stopping me from just ignoring it and following that failure?"

"Well..." Crap, she got her. Think, think, think. "... Why don't you do just that? Gimme a free backstab, would ya?"

Miss Railgun simply stares at the elf, and, as the hunk of metal she calls a weapon shows no sign of charging up, Linda actually fears the broad will just turn to the side and fly towards the greenette's only chance of victory.

Finally, the CPU wannabe opens her mouth.

"Fair enough. This shouldn't take more than a moment."

Linda's grin widens at that, even as internally she feels like letting out a big damn sigh of relief. There it goes, now this broad's attention is all hers... Which isn't really a good thing, but better than the alternative if she wants an actual chance at winning this—

Wait, why is Miss Railgun pointing that thing upwards?

Why is she shooting at the freaking seagulls now?

... Are those blue fireworks?

 _Is it all coming towards her?!_

 _"OH, SHI—"_

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 ***Chapter 12***

 **The Candidate of Black - Part 2**

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For a member of a group officially labeled as a terrorist organization, life in Gamindustri isn't exactly a walk in the park.

Granted, that sorta statement is pretty deep into "no shit" territory, but just saying it isn't enough to understand what it's like.

First off, even if nobody is supposed to know how you look like, you always need to worry about being spotted by authorities pretty much 24/7, because that "supposed to" is what screws people over. Sounds pretty simple, right? Sure, until you remember the second point: being suspicious is bad, so you need to act all natural and fade into society.

And that's where the bullshit starts.

There's no magical lifeline to maintain you; shopping and that sorta thing are still necessary, because most people need to eat to avoid dying—not exactly a normal person's life goal, if you ask Linda. And that'd be fine and all...

If you weren't a freaking terrorist, that is.

Fake documents might cover you for a while, but you _really_ don't wanna put them to use in the first place—next thing you know, something weird in them caught the attention of somebody up there and now there are a bunch of black suits at your door.

You need to focus on not getting yourself in a spot you need to show the papers to any officer, but that's pretty damn hard when you _can't_ just avoid the authorities like a plague, not without putting a big damn neon sign saying "I'm suspicious" above your head.

As if that wasn't enough, you also gotta know where the cameras are and which ones are more likely to get a good shot of your ugly terrorist face, because you can't just casually avoid all of them like some kinda ninja.

Already starting to sound tough? Funny, that's just the tip of the damn iceberg. Pretty much _anything_ can get you burned, from taking a wrong turn at some shanty street right into the view of the feds to buying _freaking candy_ at the wrong place.

Ending up just paranoid is a blessing, really.

Still, that's not to say life's all dull and crappy in general. Hell, Linda herself is the proof of that! Does she look like some kinda traumatized scamp with bags under eyes, the type who'd suspect the grandma walking down the street of hiding handcuffs inside her purse?

She'd like to think not, and whoever says otherwise gets a pipe to the face.

The answer to keep yourself sane is simple: you just gotta have fun.

When you find out just how far you can push it and keep your sorry behind from getting jailed or worse, it's not that difficult to let yourself go without any repercussions whatsoever. Having means to make sure you're not caught red-handed when doing particularly exciting things also helps a lot.

Needless to say, Linda herself has several activities which she classifies as "fun," most of which she engages in on a regular basis: there's beating up random thugs who think they're hot shit, dawdling around in random cafés with free Internep, teaching a lesson to anybody who feels like being a douchebag in her presence, going to arcades, anonymously granting asshat officers she crossed paths with some forced vacations, playing with cats, and so on.

So, the expected stuff, even if it's something of a big list.

But, as daring as all that makes Linda sound, there _are_ quite a few thrilling situations she wouldn't wish to experience—most of which are outright deadly, because you can't have fun if you're freaking _dead_.

Unsurprisingly, in that second list she'd put stuff like shootouts, lacking effective weapons when in dangerous situations and getting her ass chased by anybody who can mess her up bad.

It stands to reason that being chased around empty-handed by a really mad CPU Candidate who thinks she's a bullet hell stage boss isn't exactly what Linda would call "fun."

 ***BOOOM***

Another explosion just a meter to her right, another death avoided. Without delay, she readjusts the chain wrapped around her neck like a scarf to make it a bit tighter and less prone to moving around—not to imitate Pinkie, mind you; it just feels less heavy when it's not wrapped around her arm, mainly because torque is a damn thing.

She _really_ doesn't want a weird center of mass while running from certain doom.

Speaking about certain doom, that was probably the twentieth shot Linda dodged back there. In a single moment of silliness, the girl wonders if she may get a prize after reaching the thirtieth.

The serious part of her mind helpfully reminds her that she might not even survive that long.

As chilling as the observation is, it doesn't really affect the situation any; the greenette doesn't hesitate as she continues to run from platform to platform, and there's still a flying crazy broad following her, seemingly under the notion that fried elf meat makes for some good lunch.

Linda has no idea whether that's true, but she's not exactly raring to find out.

 ***vwooooon***

That same stupid digital cannon noise sounds from a less than comfortable distance—anything less than a couple kilometers away, basically—prompting her to sidestep just in time to avoid a blue ball of energy that explodes on the pathway. It might have made a mess out of it behind her, but she can't possibly know; as she forces her legs to move faster to regain the distance she lost there, letting out a grunt as both limbs start hurting even more, the girl easily concludes that running without looking and dying because she tripped would just be sad.

Even if she doesn't tumble to the ground, a misstep would be lost distance, and Linda can't afford to let that thing reach her. _Especially_ after Railgun showed just how troublesome she really is.

Really, what's with that unlimited ammo crap?! And why can she swing that damn weapon around so quick?!

Linda knows an anti-gravity enchantment when she sees them, and that sure ain't it! That has way too much momentum all the damn time, which means any attempt to exploit the usual failings of negating a weapon's weight will result in freaking nothing!

Pipe #27's death by melting following a particularly fancy maneuver from Miss Big Gun there is proof enough of that.

It's like that thing's a part of that broad's _body_ instead of a weapon... and the girl's not sure whether that's crazy talk or really the way it works.

The greenette growls under her breath as she reaches a dead end, brought about by a wrong turn a couple platforms back. Even so, she doesn't stop running, jumping on the water a moment before a shot hits the spot she was before and running on it like it's ground.

 _Her legs really hurt, dammit._

Seriously, she's never seen anything like this gal! If she had ignored Pinkie's words and didn't play it safe a couple minutes back...

Well, there wouldn't be round two after what Railgun would have done to her.

... She always dreamed of fighting a CPU, and _this_ is how it goes. If that's not stupid, she doesn't know what it is.

Pushing away those thoughts for the time being, gritting her teeth hard at the soreness of her body, Linda accelerates forward and jumps on another platform, at this point just annoyed by the explosion that hits the water behind her.

The very first thing the greenette deduced was that running was a bad idea, and look at her now. Turns out all other options were even worse, who'd have thought.

Oh, yes. Pinkie would.

What the hell was that broad thinking, putting her up to a _fair darned fight_ against the one CPU broad who's actually dangerous?!

And speaking about her, she's sure taking her sweet time, isn't she? If Linda hadn't been circling the building from far away, if only to prevent that chick from being able to sneak off unnoticed, she'd be sure her supposed help had left her for dead ages ago. Instead, it just looks like she's being pretty damn incompetent with bringing that sweater puppy-eyes broad back to the fight.

Seriously, the hell's she doing?!

* * *

Another room, brown walls, TV, big open closet, empty inside, no sight of Compa.

With that second-long analysis, Nepgear flies away from the room and goes to the next doorway in the hall, blue eyes looking over the place in mere instants before she reaches the same conclusion for about the twentieth time and floats away.

Of course this had to be some sort of hotel, or guest rooms, or whatever the staff used to call this place. It'd be way too easy otherwise.

Suddenly, the lilac-haired girl bumps against something, and from behind her comes the sound of ceramic breaking. Not that it matters; she hasn't been paying attention to her surroundings for a while now, and she's not about to start.

Another room, everything in disrepair, no places to hide, random dogoo just staring at her, her gunblade arm twitches, but not the lifeform she's looking for, the girl moves on.

In retrospect, she really should have asked Underling where she put Compa. That's what any normal rational living being would have done.

Figures Nepgear would mess up at being one.

As she moves away from another empty room, the girl would have clicked her tongue, had she actually been in the mood for useless motions. There are explosions outside, and that's not doing much to herlp with her newfound nervousness.

She was acting tough a moment ago, for goodness' sake, so why can't her mind be consistent for once?!

 ***CRACK***

The previously closed wooden door falls into the room with two kicks, not a surprise considering its run-down state, but it'd have been easier to just open it like a normal person—Argh, dang it!

As usual, everything looks abandoned, LED TV broken, that there was probably a bed one day—

 ***Bam***

Nepgear hears the noise, she turns to the noise, she—

Wait, is that built-in bathroom's sliding door held closed with some old chair?

 ***Bam***

Something impacts the door from inside, the sound is the same as before.

The Planeptunian Candidate blinks.

 ***Bam***

"..."

She feels her eye twitch.

 ***Bam* *Bam*** ***Bam***

Out of all the places, _why in the True Goddess' name a bathroom_ —

* * *

Now that Linda thinks about it, she never told Pinkie where the sweater girl is, did she?

...

Whoops.

She doesn't get much time to dwell on her mistake, however. As another shot sails past, hitting the pathway she was about to cross in a bright flash of light, the girl finds herself skidding to a stop, managing to halt before her feet reach something possibly less than solid.

A moment later, as the brightness fades away, her worries are justified. The pathway's not even there anymore, and instead there's a big gap marked by a pair of molten, disconnected ends.

It's then that she realizes.

This isn't good.

 _At all._

The issue's not that there's a bunch of nothing between two platforms, no. Running along the water's no problem; she could just do that and be done with it.

Rather, the problem's another one.

Namely, _how she stopped running just a second ago_.

 _'Son of a—'_

In a single instant, a whole string of curses finds its way to her thoughts, every single one of them aimed at her own idiot self.

What part of her mind decided that listening to her survival instincts at the worst possible time was a good idea? _Those_ are what people killed in situations like this!

And isn't that a dangerous thought? After all, it means—

"If I knew that'd work, I'd have done it from the beginning."

"... Ah."

Hundreds of shivers descend Linda's whole body, each single one threatening to freeze her for good. To her credit, those didn't reach the thousands, but that doesn't really make much of a difference.

That voice was close, _way too close, **of course** she'd get close._

Slowly, the greenette turns her head back—

A railgun.

There's a damn railgun right at her face, the darkness from within its barrel staring back at scarlet eyes.

"..."

The sight isn't exactly surprising, but it'd be a lie to say it has no effect. After all, were it not for all the crap she already went through, the elf's mind would surely have crashed right then.

But it was close to. Despite years of experience, her body almost gave in to panic, much like an amateur's during their first mission.

That she's anything but an amateur just makes it more worrying.

"I have to admit, you're pretty fast for some terrorist lowlife," the CPU Candidate hovering behind the weapon says, her smile so smug, her voice _so freaking calm_ , and not a trace of tiredness whatsoever in her figure. "Or should I call you a rat? You certainly _are_ like one."

The elf shoots her a shaky smirk. "Fast as hell and hard to kill?"

"Incredibly filthy and desperate to live." Her enemy isn't fazed at all, somehow managing to look even smugger. "Still, you managed to tay untouched for quite a while, I'll give you that."

Yeah, she definitely did, even if it took everything she had.

And that's when Linda realizes she's breathing hard, her everything aches, her whole body feels too heavy to be able to move well, and she can't possibly pull any bullshit to escape from this on her own.

If she didn't already regret getting involved in this, now would be a good time to start.

Even so, the greenette's lips continue to display the nervous smirk, her scarlet orbs somehow managing to move away from the barrel and towards the smug project of a CPU behind it. If she gave in just like that, what sort of person would she be? "What can I say? The outfit ain't just for show."

"Still, you're far from the real deal," the incredibly punchable girl is all too happy to continue, her very tone beyond infuriating. "The rats I've met an actually manage to escape, for one."

At that, Linda's mouth twitches, her smirk just barely staying in place.

Typical... Just freaking typical.

Instead of just shooting her and being done with it, this broad feels like talking around like she's the top dog. That doesn't mean Railgun won't gift Linda a bunch of energy to the face later, but that she needs to act all high and mighty first just screams "inferiority complex."

Tough. That's a bad trait to have.

"You're pretty mean... Miss Candidate," the elf speaks up with caution after a moment, chuckling to herself. "You're... not makin' anybody proud like that, y'know?"

Her smile vanishes, and that's enough for the greenette to know she hit a sort spot. "What would a terrorist know about making people proud?"

"Personally... I'd say definitely more than somebody who gets off of backstabbing her friends."

Linda's words hold no venom, no aggression whatsoever. Instead, her tone would be casual, as if telling some dumb joke to a friend, were it not for the nervousness behind it.

Still, that's enough for the crazy broad to tighten her grip on the weapon, her eyes slightly more dangerous than before. "You're assuming a lot of things there. I'm no friends with any weaklings like her."

The correct term is "them," since that nurse person sort of exists, but it's not like the greenette can't get what she means.

In other words, this broad's a bitch who needs to get either a friend or laid, and _then_ she might maybe become something akin to a decent-ish kind of person. Her little mental issues also have something to do with strength, how adorable.

Too bad Linda can't make use of that without getting shot.

Not that she needs to. There are about a hundred other targets to hit.

"I get it, you're an exemplary CPU. Really, I do." Little by little, Linda's tone gains an edge which wasn't there before, slowly losing its hesitance. "'The weak gotta be purged, this is the world of the strong and rich, if you're not either that's your own damn fault and you should try being born right next time.'" At each word, Railgun only seems more and more miffed. Great. "That about sums it up, ma'am? Or should it be 'Goddess-Emperor CPU Mistress'?"

"Do _not_ test my patience," the swimsuit competition contestant snaps back, trying to sound tough with that emphasis. Cute. "A lowly terrorist, preaching to me? You're just a weakling who wants nothing more than to cause trouble, like any other ASIC goon!"

"Terrorist"? "Weakling"? Again with that? Oh, dear, she's parroting herself now.

Still, there was something interesting about that exchange just now. Linda's not sure about it, but maybe if she just...

"Am I, really?" the greenette says, her smirk widening ever so slightly. "You sure it's not the CPUs who're screwing up with Gamindustri instead of ASIC? Maybe the world would be better without y'all at your thrones, ever thought of that?"

An incredibly hasty argument, devoid of any sort of evidence. The textbook example of skirting around the accusation, the kind which Linda would never dare to use in a serious discussion.

This isn't a serious discussion, though.

"Without CPUs, who would lead the people?! Some random citizen?! The world would fall apart without leaders like us!" Railgun shouts, getting all red-faced by this point. "Don't you dare compare us with you lowlifes! We're the only ones who can lead Gamindustri to a better future!"

"... Is that so?" the elf whispers, her voice dark and smile even darker.

The rooks are gone.

Would you look at that? The broad didn't shoot at all, even thought this damn hunk of metal is right at Linda's face!

She got it now. And she got _her_ now. There's no need to continue this exchange in particular anymore, not when the greenette has all the information she needed.

This gal? This crazy bitch? She's way more interested in "winning the argument" than just being done with it. This isn't about convincing Linda, either; the whole thing, from betraying her party for no rational reason to refusing to end Linda, is about her own precious feelings.

Cute.

Just when she thinks CPUs can't get any more self-centered, she meets one who raises the bar a couple hundred meters. Funny how the world works.

"Y'know, that broad you're calling a failure? She trusted me to hold you off," Linda speaks slowly, making sure each word comes with as much strength as the last. "Trusting an enemy's dumb, yeah, and I'm still gonna take her down, but she did it anyway. I'm pretty sure she's using me, to be honest, but, hey, I'm doing the same, so whatever."

Railgun just narrows her eyes in response. "You can't retort to me, so you're rambling now? What is your point?"

Knights were just dealt with.

"My point, ma'am, is that, from the way she acts, that chick seems way more reasonable than you. The sorta person who can get people to act using just logic, and no intimidation whatsoever. Or maybe not, it ain't like I know her that well, but I know for a fact she _can_ be that kinda person," Linda explains, her voice growing more smug by the second. "Hell, I'd go as far as to say that maybe... just maybe... she's not the one who's a failure here—"

 ***VWOON***

Unsurprisingly, the railgun lights up, letting out a small, hastily charged energy shot.

... And Linda lets out a chuckle, bringing up a hand to pull her hoodie back up after the graze pushed it down.

Bishops have been taken out of the way.

The silver-haired broad looks totally insane right now, eyes wide and oh so angry like she just witnessed a villain taking down her closest ally. Then again, it's not like she has something like that, judging from her personality, so maybe the comparison's kinda moot.

Still, she didn't end this. Of course not. That'd mean losing the argument, and we can't let that happen, can we?

Even in the dark, acting on nothing but adrenaline, resentment and a blind rush of hate, that's not the sort of person she is.

Her pride's too damn big.

Might work as a blunt weapon, even.

" **Don't. Test. Me,** " the crazy thing growls, like she thinks that line's any more impactful when repeated. "I'm a Candidate. I'm a future _CPU_! You don't have the right to talk to me like that, especially when you've done nothing but run with your ugly rat tail between your legs!"

The Queen has fallen, doomed by a lack of restraint.

"Well, that's where you're wrong, drill-hair," the elf retorts, her voice suddenly far firmer than it should have the right to be. "You're assuming a lot of things there, you see..."

Linda's smirk suddenly turns into a genuine grin.

There were no pawns from the beginning, ignored for being perceived as weak.

"Who says I was tryin' to run off?"

Miss Railgun opens her mouth to reply, and the greenette doesn't hesitate.

In the very instant her enemy is more focused on "speaking" than "shooting," she moves, stepping to the left and using a hand to push the weapon away.

For just an instant, the broad looks surprised. Linda doesn't put much importance in that reaction, though; in just an instant, this gal can regain her composure, bringing the piece of junk back around faster than the greenette can possibly dodge. It wouldn't take away all her HP, which sits at around 47% right now after the battle against Pinkie, but it'd certainly spell the beginning of the end, so to speak.

Good thing that won't happen, though.

Why?

 ***BYUUN***

Because there's a big damn green laser coming horizontally from the right, ten centimeters away from Railgun's face.

 _'... Checkmate.'_

For a second, the broad actually registers what's going on, her eyes widening comically.

 ***—-—-—***

Then, the world is washed in light, and a ringing noise attacks Linda's ears.

She blinks. It's still white.

She blinks. Her surroundings are returning.

She blinks. She's sitting on the ground, no doubt having been thrown back.

There's an annoying crybaby of a CPU standing right in front of her, gunblade resting on her shoulder and a way too big of a smile on her face.

"I'm going to call that Celestial Buster," she says casually, just as the cloudy sky shows up in the elf's vision. "It'll be aiming at you next time."

Linda actually chuckles.

Not wasting any more time, she climbs to her feet.

* * *

Lowering her weapon from its spot, Nepgear erases her easy expression as she walks to the middle of the platform, turning towards where Uni was blown off to. There's nothing there but empty platforms and agitated water, making it quite obvious where the silver-haired Candidate fell.

... She wouldn't be defeated by that alone—rather, she _wasn't_. Being "aware" of Uni, Nepgear can feel her opponent's HP at 58%, and that alone proves that the trigger-happy girl is somewhere nearby.

Obviously, that's not good. An unseen enemy is far worse than one trying to stab you from the front, after all.

Behind her, several footsteps sound. Some are no doubt Underling's, but as for the rest...

"Gosh, Ge-Ge!" A reprimanding yet somewhat childish voice sounds. "You didn't need to let go of me out of nowhere, that scared me!"

"Sorry," the lilac-haired girl answers curtly, not even turning around to face the nurse. Taking her eyes off that spot could mean trouble. "I needed both hands to do that."

"That" means "descending to sea level and charging up as much mana as possible to shoot a two-meter wide laser at Uni," of course. Good thing there was a connected platform right there to drop the peach-haired girl at.

Unfortunately, that skill of hers used up around 60% of her energy. And not the active "EXE" mana, but her more stable "SP" mana reserves.

Difference being that the latter is the only one Nepgear can use to heal, so that's bad.

... Maybe she should have bought a bunch of SP Chargers instead of getting all those Healing Pods on sale. That's one more mistake for the list.

"Hey, sweater girl," Underling's voice comes from behind, "need healing here."

"Hm? Don't you have any items?"

"The hell?! Why would I waste my stuff if there's a healer—"

"Hm? Don't you have any items?"

"Is this because I tied you—"

"Hm? Don't you have any items?"

"Seriously?!"

Listening to the exchange, the lilac-haired girl feels her lips threatening to twitch into a smile. It's just logical Compa would be mad at the elf, no matter how nice the nurse seems.

Underling _was_ the one who put IF out of commission... and Nepgear better put that thought away, lest she start feeling angry at the worst possible time.

At least the brunette is mostly fine...

"It'll be harder to drink potions while fighting," the Planeptunian Candidate says matter-of-factly, eyes still locked on the water. "Better save her SP for faster healing skills."

"You think I'm a moron? I know that!" the elf complains. "Excuse me if I don't wanna trust an enemy to keep healing me!"

Nepgear can almost hear Compa's surprise. "I would never ignore a hurt ally!"

"That ain't a gamble I'm raring to take, sweater puppies."

"I-I'm not a puppy!" the nurse barks.

"Not what I—Ah, whatever, we're wasting too much time babbling!" The sound of a bottle being opened comes soon after, following by the girl's HP maxing out. Good, they're all ready now.

Still, Nepgear feels like sighing, her earlier amusement gone. She can't believe she almost forgot something so basic: since they're far from friends, trusting each other any more than necessary is out of question.

And here she was about to ask if Underling had any SP Chargers... Goodness, that'd be naïve at best.

"So, where's that meanie?" Compa asks. Turning her head a bit to the right, the lilac-haired girl can see in her peripheral vision the nurse lightly waving that big syringe while looking around. "I'm gonna have a serious talk with her."

"Get in line, she owes me a lot after all the 'cat and mouse' crap she pulled." A metallic rattle fills the silence, the greenette by the left edge of Nepgear's view taking off her chains from her neck and rearranging them. "Not sure if I can get any interest, though. The broad seems pretty damn stingy if you ask me."

As Underling places the middle of the chain on the back of her neck, seemingly wrapping both arms under the sleeves this time if her movements are any indication, the Candidate finally takes notice of the missing pipe. She has half a mind to ask what happened, but refrains from doing so; the answer is so obvious it'd only serve to annoy the greenette, no doubt.

Still, she should be fine; it seems Underling is willing to sacrifice reach for doubling her attack rate. That should work well enough, and, if not, Nepgear can just hand her an extra beam sword—that cylindrical one she used against Nepugia would probably be enough.

... On second thought, maybe not. After all the running she had to do during a rainstorm to recover it, it'd be a shame if the elf decided to keep it for good.

"Say, she ever coming out of hiding?" the greenette suddenly speaks up, her stance easing, and she has a point. The three girls have their backs turned against each other, essentially covering a third of their surroundings each and yet, despite the three pairs of eyes covering every possible opening, Uni as good as vanished for about fifty seconds by now.

That's way too long in a fight.

Even so...

"I can still feel her nearby." Her HP, specifically, but same difference. "Even if I couldn't, I doubt Uni would let any of us off the hook."

Underling snickers. "You say it like she has any authority."

"Why is she so very mad, anyway?" Compa asks rather casually, her light voice far from befitting of a warrior in a battlefield. "She was a little bit rude before, but not like this. What happened?"

"Mental issues, that's what. Big dang inferiority complex, for starters," the elf responds as easily as if she wasn't talking to an enemy. "Broad was also talking about how Pinkie there in particular is weak, like she's hot shit herself, so I'mma bet it's gotta do with the whole CPU situation." She pauses, as if wondering whether to continue. "Miss Railgun also rambled about how CPUs are the only ones who can 'lead Gamindustri to a better future' or some crap."

"Um, she sounds kinda bad," the nurse begins, sounding somewhat uncomfortable. "I mean, she's not exactly wrong in that last one, but still..."

"It's a matter of wording," Nepgear clarifies. "It's true that Gamindustri would collapse without CPUs leading the citizens, but the way Uni put it seems a bit... unhinged. Looks like she's not in her right state of mind..." She trails off, noticing Underling staring at her. "Hm? Is something the matter?"

"Ah? It's nothing." Just like that, the elf directs her view forward once more. "Just had a stupid thought, kicking myself for it. Not stuff to talk about right now."

That was definitely not "nothing," as the Planeptunian Candidate learned from all her comics, but she can't exactly dispute the last part.

"... Right," is all she responds with after a moment, once again focusing on the empty scene before her. "Well, did you get the gist of it, Compa?"

"I think so." The peach-haired girl nods. No doubt that was better than the simplified "Uni is bad, Underling is helping, hurry up" talk Nepgear gave her on the way here. "In other words, that meanie isn't leaving us alone until we teach her a lesson!"

"That's... not inaccurate, I guess."

"And it's about now that we cut the chit-chat before the bitch gets the drop on us," Underling speaks up, readjusting her fighting stance. "I mean, if you guys don't wanna get shot to hell, that is."

She has a point there.

Nepgear's right hand tightens around the gunblade's hilt by her side, and the fact that Compa didn't reprimand the elf for her choice of words means she's taking this seriously too.

...

...

...

Except nothing happens in the next ten seconds.

"Are you kidding me...?" Nepgear can hear Underling mutter under her breath, and she can't disagree with the sentiment. It's like watching an horror movie full of fake-outs, just waiting for the monster to suddenly show up for real.

That is to say, more annoying than scary after the seventh bait.

"I'm pretty sure she swam away and surfaced behind a building," the lilac-haired girl comments. "Still, she should have attacked by now..."

"And her HP is totally full again," Compa adds, and true to her word the damage their enemy took seems to have vanished at some point.

In retrospect, Nepgear probably should have paid more attention to Uni's life points, but nothing to do about it now.

"Should we move away?" the lilac-haired girl wonders out loud. "I mean, she might actually be waiting for it, but she could also be resting while we're standing here—"

"Ah."

At the sudden voice filled with realization, the Candidate shuts up right away, throwing Underling a glance. The elf's expression seems surprised, or maybe shocked would be a better word, but violet eyes can clearly see there's nothing weird aside from some passing monsters to that direction.

... Nepgear has a bad feeling about this.

"H-Hey, here's a question for y'all..." the greenette begins, her voice holding a tension that certainly wasn't there before. "What happens if you push a face-down cup into water?"

"Hm?" Compa's voice sounds, no doubt confused as to what Underling means. "That's really easy, it stays full of air inside the cup—"

She stops.

In that single moment, with those simple words, it's as if the temperature suddenly drops several degrees. Realization hits, hard as concrete.

And a low whirling noise makes itself known.

"!"

As one, the three girls move forward as fast as they can.

Not a second later, the floor explodes in light.

"?!"

At the sudden impulse, before she can even understand what's happening, Nepgear is sent flying forward.

Rather than falling face first on the floor, however, the Planeptunian Candidate twists herself at the nick of time so that her shoulder takes the impact instead, rolling around into a crouch turned towards the spot she was just a moment ago.

Even so, her boots and left hand alike still skid a whole meter before she comes to a stop, the platform's railing right behind her a testament to how close she came to getting the very same watery treatment she granted her opponent before.

As if on cue, several pieces of molten and broken metal descend in the water behind, splashes and hisses sounding for but an instant; unsurprisingly, only a few fragments managed to stay dry after the mess, now scattered all over the platform.

Yet another display of just how dangerous that girl's firepower is.

And speaking of her...

"How annoying. I thought I could still rest for a while longer, maybe even enough to dry off... Then again, my sister wouldn't be very happy if she saw me slacking off like that."

It's only by little that Nepgear holds in the desire to curse out loud. Her hold on the gunblade tightens considerably as she rises from the floor, assuming a neutral stance and most certainly not the fencing one she attempted before.

She should have seen this coming ages ago. It wasn't even that much of a challenge, now that she thinks about it.

Across the platform, as if forming a triangle formation with her, both Compa and Underling seem to be thinking the same thing as they slowly climb to their feet, one face showing nervous determination, while another is filled with several layers of annoyance.

And yet, that doesn't faze their enemy at all.

Because she's not even looking at them.

"What's wrong? Have you finally realized your place?"

Black Sister remains still, free hand on her hip and a mocking smile over her features, as she floats over the wide hole she just created, the hot edges raising as to form a railing of sorts.

As the Candidate's words implied, her form isn't dry, but not drenched either; the remaining water's glister, coupled with the occasional droplets falling from the railgun leaned against her shoulder, seem to be the last afflictions caused by her sudden dive. Not even her hair, still forming a pair of unnaturally perfect drills, seems to have been affected.

Nepgear grits her teeth, anger and her own venomous thoughts flaring up, reminding her of just how weak she truly is.

It feels like mockery. As if to say "in the end, you did nothing," her enemy doesn't seem even slightly disheveled. This girl knows they've all seen her HP fall to nearly 50% at once, and yet she insists that it wasn't even a scratch.

If that isn't strength, then what is?

They should be on the same standing, so what gives? Why does someone like her, who wouldn't hesitate to hurt allies over feelings, have this sort of power? Is the Planeptunian Candidate doing something wrong, so that even her counterpart is far above her?

It hurts, and "jealousy" wouldn't even begin to describe it.

But, even then...

"Who the hell chit-chats in a battlefield...?"

The words are rough, and far from girly. Simple in form, but still enough to attract attention. One seems surprised, the other interested, and the last one's smile disappears.

But that doesn't matter to the person who actually spoke.

None of it does.

"Seriously, acting like this just because you're a CPU... Even Neptune knows not to do that."

Simply put, a blockade sits in front of her; that's all there is to it. She already knew what to do from the beginning, and that hasn't changed in the slightest.

This sick game of death put her up against such a boss... There's only one path to take.

Inside her, it feels like something is cheering, but who is there to care, besides the one who clearly doesn't?

... The girl grits her teeth.

"If you have the time to show off to the enemy..."

A foot moves forward, planting itself firmly.

"If you don't want to put an end to this meaningless fight..."

In that moment, something akin to a smile reaches the silver-haired one's face.

And then, focusing on nothing but her desire to win...

 _ **"Then don't blame me for whatever happens next!"**_

Nepgear shoots forward.

From her enemy's shoulder, the railgun descends.

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

"..."

IF stares.

At this point, about twenty seconds have passed, but she still stares.

"..."

Sitting on the stool next to the bed is a familiar young and naïve-looking maid, wearing purple uniform, violet headband, a similarly-colored dogoo hairpin, and hair ties adorned by the very same creature holding her blonde twintails.

That's not what ensnares the brunette's attention, however.

Rather, it's jelly.

Held up on Puyo's hands are two plates filled with purple jelly. They're not small either, looking about as big as a decently sized cake of all things.

Incidentally, one of them is held towards her.

So, IF stares.

"... Is this lunch?"

"I-It's food!" Puyo snaps right back, violet eyes narrowing a bit. Wait, why is she so offended? Wasn't she a "useless clumsy maid" character? "It tastes good, is edible and is good for your health!"

"Erm, no, I know what jelly is, but..." the Guild agent trails off, staring at the so-called lunch.

...

She pokes it.

Like slime, the jelly's body waves a bit.

...

"... Is this lunch?"

"Geez, stop complaining after I went through the trouble of making it!" With that, like the team pet character of an adventure comic, the maid pouts cutely. Seriously, why is she being so strangely defensive about it? "I'm nutritious, alright?!"

"Hey, I'm not disputing that, but—"

IF pauses.

"... Wait, what was that just now?"

"The jelly's nutritious."

"No, no, I'm pretty sure—"

"The jelly's nutritious."

"Hey, seriously—"

"The. Jelly's. Nutritious."

"..."

Now that she thinks about, doesn't Puyo look a bit shorter?

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

* * *

In retrospect, perhaps a direct attack wasn't the best of ideas.

"Tch...!" Nepgear winces as one of the hundreds of small glowing bullets grazes her arm. Even so, she doesn't stop flying back as fast as possible, shooting laser after laser as the source of the swirling lights all around continues to fly directly at her.

First of all, they clearly overlooked Uni's ability to fly away whenever.

Things just sort of escalated from there.

A bit to the right, now to the left, that gap is a bait— _wait, it's not, rush to it._

One minute. In just that time, the silver-haired Candidate with anger issues managed to morph the entire situation into something completely unrecognizable.

 _One. Minute._

Seriously, what sort of Hack-n-Slash doubles as a bullet hell?! If she survives this, Nepgear has some very colorful words for the developers!

... Oh, look, now she's starting to act like Neptune to avoid panicking.

Can this this day get any worse?

 ***PYUUUUUUN***

Beta testers says "yes," and the SE team adds lasers to Uni's moveset, like that one which just missed her by thirty centimeters.

Here's hoping DGN gives this mistake a 3/10—

"Argh!" Nepgear winces as she moves too slow, letting a laser touch her waist. "Right, shouldn't get distracted—Huh, 7% damage?!"

For goodness' sake, nerf this, developers!

 _'Then again, this isn't meant to be fair, is it...'_

It's funny, in a way; turns out playing those games by Team Death Scissors wasn't a complete waste of time. Thank EVA for their indie bullet hells, whoever that person is.

Now, if only she had played more shooters...

She needs to go a bit higher— _not so much_ —laser incoming, keep skirting by it— _she never stopped shooting, why aren't her own projectiles hitting?!_

"Whenever anyone has a plan, I'm willing to listen!" she shouts just as she flies by a certain rooftop, just in time for a green light to cover her body, filling her HP.

"Sorry! Still thinking!" Compa shouts back from there, spraying several bullets at the enemy CPU passing by.

Uni doesn't even look at her before twisting her body out of the way, grinning all the while before sending a couple easily-evaded shots at the nurse.

Goodness, can't she _not_ show off?!

 _And how come she keeps dodging everything Nepgear shoots?!_

Seriously, that's plain unfair! That girl just needs to shoot wherever, and her projectiles explode into more projectiles that somehow go towards Nepgear's general direction, but then the player character here can't hit no matter how well she aims?!

The Planeptunian Candidate's heart almost leaps out of her throat when a giant laser very nearly grazes her right eye, putting everything she shot up until now to shame.

Yet another thing to be mad about, and no reasonable way of unleashing that anger without getting herself killed.

This really isn't going the way she expected.

Is there a skill she could use, aside from bigger and more costly lasers for her enemy to evade? Some sort of trick for the fight, like in those particularly nifty games?

Wait, she has a plan.

Without thinking, Nepgear lobs several fragbangs at Uni. Unfortunately, she has enough sense to move away from the strange spheres, and is fast enough to cover her eyes when the flash comes.

The same can't be said for Underling, who had just used her ability to jump high enough from a building and was about to ensnare the Lastationite Candidate with her chain. Instead, she ends up covering her eyes a bit too late, the metallic weapon substitute flailing around aimlessly as the elf falls towards a nearby platform.

Nepgear winces at the unceremonious "clang."

"The hell?!"

"Sorry!"

"You better be, dammit!"

... Well, there goes that plan.

As such, the Planeptunian CPU can do nothing besides keep moving away in a semi-circular manner around the area, evading projectiles befitting of a Stage 3 boss and shooting back despite the apparent futility, all the while trying to make her brain work.

Intelligence should be her strong point, so why can't she think of anything right now?!

"Do you only know how to run away?" Uni's loud voice sounds as the bullet-filled chase continues, the hostile words coming with the usual edge Nepgear has long since associated with her. "I understand running from problems and abandoning people is sort your thing, but you don't need to make it a personal skill!"

"Yes, yes, you look lovely too!" the lilac-haired girl snaps right back, channelling several comic protagonists for a moment. "By the way, you're free to stop this pointless fight whenever you want!"

"I don't think it's pointless, but by this point I'm willing to back the hell off if you are!" Underling adds from below, running abnormally fast from platform to water to platform to keep up. "Antagonizing your person in the current context was clearly a miscalculation, ma'am, _so stop being a goddamned psychopath, please_?!"

In response, the silver-haired girl seems outright disgusted. "Are you kidding me?! I don't listen to failures and terrorists!" She shrugs off their words just like that, her rate of fire somehow increasing from frustration alone, and glare burning Nepgear as hot as her bullets. "Besides, weren't you the one who told me not to talk during a fight?! Is that hypocrisy I see?!"

"What?! That's clearly bullshit, you baited her—"

"No, no, she's right," the lilac-haired girl interrupts, pausing for a moment to unleash another laser at her foe. "I should listen to my own advice and humiliate her in silence."

"Not you too!"

"Funny, I don't remember you having quite the mouth when you were trembling before! Brave until you're in the spot, huh?!" Uni snarls, sounding incredibly pleased with her own words. "And here I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic! Looks like I'll enjoy testing your VIT way more than I thought!"

"..."

At those words, Nepgear feels her frustration slowly reaching critical mass.

This girl is just too much...!

The fact that this battle is obviously going her way doesn't help either.

There has to be a weak point to strike, an opening to use—heck, even a glitch to exploit would be a godsend right now! The longer this goes on, the less likely a victory looks; if this game of attrition continues, the moment Compa's SP empties, they might as well lose instantly.

Some sort of decisive action is needed, something that can trigger the event flag and either end the fight or make it winnable, but what—

"Hey!" Linda speaks up, exasperation obvious in her tone. "I know you're throwing a bitch-fit because your sister was useless and got caught, but—"

An instant.

That's all it takes for Uni's face to go from very angry to outright murderous.

That's all it takes for her to stop shooting and, still flying incredibly fast, turn around towards the voice.

That's all it takes for her to take aim with her railgun, the motion outright automatic.

And, most importantly...

That's all it takes for her to notice that Underling is now just three meters away, the right end of her chain now mere centimeters from the large weapon.

"You—"

The elf simply grins at the shock on her foe's face.

Seeing that, realization hits Nepgear, as fast as Uni's own shock.

 _This_ is the game-changer.

 ***CLANG***

Just like that, her railgun is sent flying away, an unsteady hold caused by the sudden movement far from enough to hold it in place. Then, impossibly, even as gravity begins to pull down the greenette, both ends of the chain move to wrap around the silver-haired girl before she can react.

At first, the enemy no doubt thinks the plan is to drag her down. Thus, it stands to reason that she simply tries to stay afloat, using her CPU flight to quite literally ignore gravity.

"As if something like this would work—"

"Hey, miss CPU!" the greenette gleefully shouts at her. "I'm thinking we had a bad introduction!"

"—Eh?"

Then, Underling slowly begins spinning around, despite having no footing at all.

Uni can only look dumbfounded by this point.

"The name's Linda, y'see?"

CPUs can defy gravity, but that's not to say they can also ignore any sort of acceleration that reaches their bodies.

"Hobbies include playing with cats, chilling near free WiFi, wastin' time with old as hell arcade games, pirating the overpriced shit companies sell nowadays..."

They, believe it or not, have a limit, so it's not long until the unexplainable force pulling on the chain is enough to drag the Lastationite Candidate off her spot.

"Oh, and before I forget, here's my favorite pastime!"

With a shout, the elf quite literally throws Uni down at the platform twenty whole meters beneath, the momentum bringing the Candidate down at a speed far beyond terminal velocity just as the chain lets go.

With no time to rebound, her back hits metal loudly, eliciting a sudden pained sound as air escapes her lungs.

But she bounces.

Inexplicably, the silver-haired girl is suddenly in the air once again, as if the solid surface became a trampoline.

... No, that's wrong. She took 19% damage from that alone. Rather, it's as if something tackled her upwards, adding to the impact rather than nullifying it.

From her spot flying over the scene, Nepgear gapes. Since when can Underling do that?! It seems far too useful for her not to have used it to this moment... A new technique? They were pretty much running laps here, so maybe she enchanted that spot?

This is something she'll have to look out for...

While the lilac-haired girl still attempting to understand the situation, Underling drops from the sky abnormally fast, hitting the platform with a loud noise right next to the dazed Candidate.

Nepgear can see that her grin is even larger.

It seems the show hasn't ended just yet.

"There's nothing I like more..."

Even as her wide eyes glance at the elf, Uni continues to rise, slowly losing speed.

Underling puts a boot forward, her right arm moving back to prepare a punch.

"Than teaching a goddamn lesson..."

Finally, the silver-haired Candidate begins to fall, her body twisting to the side ever so slightly.

With her left hand, the elf pulls back her jacket's sleeve.

Metal.

The chain is coiled around her arm and fist, leaving not a single trace of skin visible. From the looks of it, it seems Underling somehow managed to bring the entire chain to that arm with her ability alone.

Then, it begins to spin.

"To self-serving bitches like you!"

Uni is right before her.

With a makeshift drill, the elf punches at the falling enemy.

Nepgear holds her breath in anticipation. Who knows how much mana is charged in there? Unlike HP, SP is invisible to all but the warrior, a consequence of being an internal reserve; only Underling herself knows how much she can pour without causing a disastrous reaction, and, most importantly, how powerful her skill is.

Even so, this is it.

She wouldn't act in such a way if it was a weak technique. Furthermore, taken aback as she is, Uni's position isn't one of someone who can actually dodge.

Tthirty centimeters are between the skill and its target.

All the time Uni had to regain her bearings and move is gone.

At the very last moment, the girl's left hand moves, as if a desperate attempt to change the inevitable.

Evading is impossible.

So, she doesn't.

 ***BANG***

A gasp sounds.

With an expression of shock, Underling loses her footing as her arm is blown back.

Uni is turned away, so the lilac-haired girl can only imagine how her face looks like. Still, a grin would be the safest bet.

Nepgear can't see the enemy with anything else. Not when she's holding in her left hand a new weapon, an unholy combination of a small cannon and a dark handgun, smoking from its barrel, most likely transformed by the HDD.

It shouldn't be possible.

The fraction of a second to regain her senses, another to analyze the situation, yet another to choose a weapon, and a last one to aim it accurately at the incoming threat. It sounds ridiculous, like the unrealistic abilities of a comic protagonist; to think someone would have such reflexes and be able to think so quick is insane at best.

And yet, what just happened was real, perpetrated by a CPU far more powerful than her.

As real as the sudden kick the silver-haired Candidate delivers the elf, expelling the air from her enemy's lungs and blowing her away with far too much strength.

Nepgear acts.

Following her unbelievable stunt, just as Underling's body hits the floor, Uni simply stops her fall and twists her body as to float upright; it doesn't take a genius to realize that, in the next second, she'll turn to her other foe, prepared to shoot.

That wouldn't do. Allowing another long-range engagement simply wouldn't do.

Without a doubt, the Lastationite Candidate has either a better HDD buff on reflexes, more training, or, most likely, both.

As such, when several quiet "clangs" sound behind her, it doesn't come as a surprise that she turns around instantly, aiming her handcannon down at the noises instead of upwards.

That's when the flashbangs explode, blinding the girl with a yelp. They don't, however, blow her away; much like the weak hits meant to lead a combo instead of knocking down the other player, there was a reason why it wasn't a fragbang that was used.

The blinded girl brings her free hand to her eyes.

Nepgear descends with a downwards slash.

... But of course it wouldn't work.

"!"

Just as the attack is about to hit, scarlet eyes snap open. Without warning, the handcannon moves, its length hitting the gunblade and batting it to the side.

That wasn't unexpected, however.

 ***crack* *crack* *crack* *crack***

Several white glyphs appear and shatter over the lilac-haired girl's torso, killing her speed rather roughly and even pushing her back. Her rotating momentum is still there, though, and so, placing her boots on the floor, she rotates around and makes use of the attrition to lunge forward with another slash at the gun now aiming for her.

The weapon is pushed away, discharging its shot at nothing. Seeing an opening, Nepgear sends her scarf to stab forward.

She wasn't expecting Uni to actually _grab_ onto it. As she's suddenly pulled, the lilac-haired girl can't even react properly as her enemy's boot digs into her stomach, a gasp filled with _**blood**_ saliva escaping her mouth. Not a moment later, Nepgear is let go, falling to the floor as the enemy drops to the ground mid-turn to avoid a chain to the face.

Taking a hint and placing both feet on the ground, Uni shoots towards Underling two meters away, seizing her chain arm before anything else can be done, pressing the handcannon against the elf's uncovered stomach and pulling the trigger over and over, eliciting a surprised, pained "oof."

Her HP, diminishing far too rapidly, doesn't lie.

Scrambling to her feet, Nepgear attempts to rush in. In response, the silver-haired Candidate finally pushes the pained greenette to the ground before turning around, whipping the overly large gun towards the lilac-haired girl's face. Nepgear ducks under it, planting her feet on the ground and delivering an upwards slash with the momentum.

Clearly, that wasn't a good enough plan.

"?!"

Uni simply _grabs_ the gunblade, twisting it out of Nepgear's grasp the very instant her surprised self forgets about keeping a proper hold, letting it fall to the floor. Even so, her body continues forward, only for her stomach to meet a knee as a gasp sounds.

"Horrible focus."

The scarf shoots forward, towards the enemy's face centimeters away. Even so, all it takes for her to evade is leaning to the side, moving her free hand under the accessory covering her enemy's neck and tearing it away in a single move. As Uni discards it over her shoulder, the silk doesn't move, no matter how much Nepgear tells it to.

The silver-haired Candidate coated it in her own mana, severing the link. Despite no visible changes, there's no doubt that's just a normal scarf now.

"Terrible use of a side-weapon."

Left with nothing else to do, Nepgear pushes Uni away, and while the enemy Candidate not budging—no doubt altering her own gravity—she does succeed in separating herself from the knee.

It's then that the Lastationite Candidate's boot descends on the lilac-haired girl's bent knee, destroying her stance and sending the girl to the ground, her shins hitting the ground with a loud noise.

"Hell, what's with that stance?"

Before Nepgear can respond, a right hand clamps around her neck, tightening painfully before pulling her up from the floor. Holding onto the arm lifting her in order to alleviate the pressure, air flow and intact trachea only maintained by her own remaining 80% HP, the Candidate can only look straight into emerald glowing eyes, her enemy looking a mixture of disinterested and disgusted by her performance.

The worst part is how Nepgear can't exactly disagree.

"Please tell me that's just exhaustion and not how you actually fight," Uni speaks, her disappointed voice sounding almost genuine. "I mean, just look at this. I'm holding you up, your weapons are gone, I can blast you the moment you try anything funny, and you can only claw at my hand like an animal—something you're not even doing, might I add. It's... It's unbelievable."

The Planeptunian Candidate growls at her, if only for the lack of an alternative.

The girl laughs, _she actually laughs_ , before continuing. "Seriously, I know you're a failure, but this is just... I'm stunned, you know. This is crazy. And sad. It's like it's the first time you ever fought for real."

It's not, Nepgear wants to protest as she continues to try and push away her foe's arm, even as the simple act of floating feels too hard in her state of mind. She already fought for her life before, she definitely did!

And yet...

"..."

Amethyst eyes look away, ashamed as realization comes. The chuckle that comes from Uni is certainly the result of misunderstanding the message, but it still stings either way.

It all felt unnatural. In this so-called battle, the lilac-haired girl honestly had no idea what she was doing, or what to do next, as if she was playing with a different character after spending years with her favorite. Heck, her grenades were used idiotically, and her knives never escaped the inventory when the need finally arose.

That sort of ineptitude didn't show itself against Underling, only when she was forced to battle another Candidate.

Only when she tried to switch styles to battle another Candidate.

Flying around and shooting? Advancing recklessly at the enemy? What happened to being cautious and making observations? What happened to memorizing the opponent's mannerisms and predicting their next movement? What happened to focusing on countering and taking calculated risks?

In her mind, she already knows the answer.

Before the fight began, Nepgear told herself that she wouldn't be consumed by anger, that she wouldn't be reckless like she was back in Virtua Forest's hidden dungeon due to losing herself to the madness.

And she wasn't.

Rather, she fought like a powerful, heroic CPU.

It just so happens she's incredibly weak for what she is, having a "Lawful Good" alignment that randomly turns "Chaotic Neutral" doesn't make her heroic, and calling her a CPU would be really stretching it.

"... Dammit," she manages to croak out, despite the tight hold on her neck.

That word, which she almost never used, couldn't possibly be more fitting at the moment.

Try to be something you're not? Well, here's the result. If there's any cosmic being watching this, they're free and justified to laugh.

"Done with the monologuing? I'm starting to get bored... I guess seeing your enemy squirm isn't all it's cracked up to be. Video games lied, how shocking." Uni speaks in a bored tone, even as a sadistic smile plays on her lips. In her left hand, the handcannon begins to hum, its barrel emitting light. "This is just gonna take a moment, 'kay?"

With those words, she raises the weapon.

Nepgear grits her teeth, forcing her eyes closed. In her mind, a thousand curses sound.

This is it. Yet another failure.

At the very least she'll be able to try again—

 ***RATTLE***

Her eyes snap open.

"... Hoh?"

Before her, Uni seems slightly interested in something.

Namely, the chain wrapped around her left arm.

"Drat, looks like I was being a bit too hopeful. I seriously thought you'd stay down."

Disinterested, the silver-haired Candidate throws a look behind her.

Despite standing on unsteady feet, hunched over and breathing uneven, Underling simply grins back, the chain wrapped around her right arm postponing Nepgear's doom.

... 3% HP. That's all the elf has. Like an underleveled player who took a direct hit from the stage boss, her life bar is long gone.

Even, as she stands there rather than fleeing, the lilac-haired girl can't help but like victory is still in their grasp.

Does she have a plan?

"C'mon, Railgun princess," the elf begins, tone as smug as ever despite her state. "You seriously think I'd just up and—"

"Boring."

Uni points at her and shoots.

Indisposed to dodge, Underling can't react as the large, blue energy sphere hits her, exploding and sending the greenette flying back, the chain wrapped around Uni's arm automatically letting go.

The elf's body hits the floor hard, bounces,then comes down once more face first, skidding to a stop.

It leaves a big bloody trail on metal.

"..."

Nepgear stares.

It's not a hallucination. It's there. It's definitely there.

The crimson liquid is strewn over like dropped paint, yet far livelier.

There's no puddle forming beneath Underling, but that doesn't mean much.

She's not moving.

Of course, she's with ASIC. An enemy. That's obvious.

Heck, before even heading out, Nepgear had already decided that, if push came to shove, she wouldn't hesitate to kill a foe. Believe it or not, she's not as naïve as everyone seems to think.

As such, seeing that sort of sight should have been par of the course. For someone who saw murder as a possible alternatively, it shouldn't be shocking that someone else was more willing to try it out.

But those are suppositions.

That on the floor is blood.

Just like before, it's full of blood. It's not hers, but it's blood.

Blood.

 _Blood._

 ** _It's blood._**

"Good thing I'm not cleaning that." With a carefree smile, Uni turns back to the shocked Candidate in her grasp. "Alright, where were we?"

 _ **Blood.**_

 _ **Blood. Blood. It's blood. She's wounded. She's bleeding. Death. That girl is going to die. Blood. Bleeding. She's going to die, DIE—**_

Nepgear gasps.

With renewed vigor, the girl starts clawing at the arm holding her, with the occasional attempts to reach Uni in-between.

What the hell was she thinking?! "Trying again"?! What's the point?! Why would she want to die?!

This thing is already way stronger than her, so why doesn't she look for the Mascots instead?! Why does Nepgear have to do it?! She doesn't want it! She doesn't want anything to do with this war!

She already lost a sister, isn't that enough?!

"Would you look at that, you _can_ make some great expressions!"

Uni's smile dies.

"Let's see how well you scream too."

Suddenly, Nepgear's world turns upside down. It takes a moment for the panicking girl to realize she was thrown—

 ***BAM***

"KGH!"

—just in time for her back to hit something metallic. As if that wasn't enough, the girl still falls several meters before finally hitting the floor.

A building. She was thrown at a building.

It didn't hurt that much. Her HP is still at 74%. It didn't hurt that much.

Even so, her hands are shaky as she places them on metal and pushes herself up—

"Didn't I tell you to scream?"

The boot that hits her cheeks is anything but gentle, sending her tumbling towards the building with an grunt and 16% less HP.

That's fine. She's still alive. That's good.

Placing a hand on the glass door next to her, Nepgear manages to climb up to her feet despite the shock, her whole body trembling.

A weapon, she needs a weapon—

"Wrong. _Scream_."

Her head snap towards the voice.

The barrel is ten centimeters away, emitting a whirling noise.

A sudden light. Her entire face burns.

Glass breaks.

This time, she does scream.

32% HP left now.

"You abandoned my sister, failed to stop ASIC, and now you want to lie down and take a nap like you have nothing to do with this? Funny how you think you have that right... Get up."

Her eyes snap open.

Dusty wooden floor. Glass shards everywhere.

Above her, Uni is still holding the gun, now in her right hand, a whirling sound once again present.

"Get. Up."

With no time to think, the lilac-haired girl hastily scrambles to her feet, not even caring about the prickly sensation of the shards beneath.

Breathing fast, expression no doubt pitiful, the supposed CPU Candidate of Planeptune stares at her enemy, whose cold green eyes seem to be analyzing her.

Fight back. She needs to fight back.

Right now.

But Uni's strong. She'll block, she'll parry, she won't take a scratch.

And then, she'll kill Nepgear.

If not, then what's the point of doing this?!

"... You know, I actually thought this would be fun. Giving you what you deserve for being so useless, I mean. Now, though?"

The silver-haired Candidate scoffs.

"Now you're just disappointing me."

As she speaks, the lilac-haired girl can do nothing but stare at her, something akin to horror clear on her face. She can already see it, her death will be a sudden one, caused the instant this psychopath stops talking to herself.

 _This psychopath who should be an ally._

 _Out of all the ways to die, **why does it have to be this**?!_

"You know, there are two things I hate the most in this world."

Uni takes a step forward. Nepgear moves back.

The shards beneath crack.

"The first is weaklings who screw everything up because they're so useless. That means you."

She repeats the action, as does the lilac-haired girl.

"The second is people with titles they don't deserve. Incidentally, that also means you."

Another step. Nepgear attempts to do the same... only to find out there's a table of some kind behind her, blocking the way.

Now closer than ever, Uni presses the gun against the lilac-haired girl's collarbone.

By now, she wants nothing more than to scream for help.

"You're an embarrassment to all CPUs. I can't believe they picked _you_ of all people."

Uni narrows her eyes dangerously.

"Turn off your HDD."

"Huh...?"

Apparently, that was the wrong answer.

The blast that sounds is proof enough.

Everything becomes brighter, blurry. Without warning, her chest begins to **_hurt, it's too much, it all hurts, why—_**

A mere instant later, a loud crash sounds. Something cracks, and pain explodes in her back, only for her body to fall and onto the floor.

... 0% HP. She was forced out of HDD.

Her back burns from the impact, her arms ache after all they went through, her legs sting as the glass shards force their way into them. All over her body, she can feel shallow cuts marring her skin, blood dripping from all of them.

Which are real, and which are hallucinations?

In her tired, scrambled mind, Nepgear doesn't even know...

She's leaning against something broken... It feels like wood. It's not just the table; this building's interior wall is revested by fancy wood, it seems. As her focus returns, she notices splinters, small and large alike, both over her body and strewn around the floor, explaining quite well her new wounds.

Gritting her teeth, the Planeptunian Candidate attempts to blink away the stray tears, looking up at her enemy. The silver-haired Candidate is standing there, weapon arm slacking by her side, wearing an impassive expression just short of disgust.

"Seeing someone who calls herself a CPU in this state..."

Yet again, the gun emits a whirling noise, light coming from within.

"How unsightly."

Uni raises the gun.

Nepgear's eyes close shut, her breath hitching in her throat. Amidst a tempest of panicked, morbid thoughts, a single one stands out in particular.

She failed again.

It's time to go back to that void.

...

...

...

Several moments pass.

She's still alive.

 _'... Eh?'_

That in itself is unnervingly strange.

Slowly, her eyes crack open...

Nepgear nearly doesn't believe it.

The Lastationite Candidate, who was more than ready to end this, suddenly halted. The weapon in her hand is silent, its charge gone, and the girl's expression is that of muted surprise, as if finding out the candy she just bought was actually a flavor she dislikes in the wrong wrapping.

That's far from surprising, however.

"Get away from Ge-Ge...!"

Especially with a certain angry-looking peach-haired girl standing right behind her, syringe planted firmly against the silver-haired enemy's back, obviously not drawing blood and yet stabbing onto the mana protecting her.

In a slow motion, Uni's head turns to look at Compa, as if staring at a particularly annoying insect.

"Hah?"

Once again, the handcannon begins charging.

Her next move is nothing short of expected.

Without hesitation, Uni simply turns around and elbows the nurse's face in a single fast motion. The movement forces the syringe to slash her back for slight damage, but that's obviously worth sending the peach-haired girl staggering back a few feet.

Then, in an instant, she raises her weapon and shoots.

With a scream, Compa is sent flying back, her back hitting the platform outside and skidding to a halt, unmoving. Her syringe hits the floor several feet farther a moment later, the reinforced plastic warped and broken, letting its bright yellow contents spill out.

... 0% HP.

As expected, her defenses weren't good enough for a CPU's direct attack. Further than that, the nurse's sleeves were burned off by the blast, leaving fully exposed a pair of bleeding, slightly charred arms missing several patches of skin.

Uni merely scoffs at the sight. "Really? Another one? Does everyone and their dog need to interfere and get shot? I mean, c'mon, the fight's long over." With an annoyed sigh, she turns back towards the lilac-haired girl. "Alright, back to business—"

She's interrupted quite rudely, however.

By a fist. Against her face.

Letting out a surprised sound, the Lastationite Candidate tumbles back, just barely managing to keep herself stable midair.

" ** _Slash Wave._** "

Not that it does much when something akin to _a moving blast_ hits her everything, completely smashing the silver-haired girl's concentration on flying and _launching_ her out of the building, handcannon escaping her hold.

Her body hits metal painfully a moment later, two meters shy of falling on Compa's unconscious self, right before the gun follows suit, except into the sea with an audible "splash." Unlike the nurse, though, Uni has enough reflexes and energy alike to roll into a crouch almost instantly, beast-like eyes looking back at the responsible for taking away 18% more HP at once, leaving her with 63%.

Of course, they widen in disbelief.

 _"Hey... Are you happy...?"_

A quiet voice. An unsteady walk. A dazed gaze pointed downwards. A body filled with wounds. A hand grasping a particularly bad injury in the right forearm.

And yet, a violet blade shaped like a long, thin cylinder held in the other grasp.

It's Nepgear, without a doubt.

And her HP is at 30%.

Judging from the shock on Uni's face, she doesn't understand how her enemy recovered, much less how her own senses didn't pick her long before the attacks connected. Even so, she tightens her fists, scrambling to her feet; it doesn't matter that she has no weapon, being in HDD should be enough—

She loses her balance.

Unexplainably, as soon as the Candidate stands up, she leans over to the side, just barely managing to catch herself as a sudden dizzy spell attacks her.

It makes no sense... is what she's clearly thinking, looking down at her body in confusion. She feels nauseous, as if having just eaten spoiled food.

Then, a bright light covers her.

Just like that, she's back to her human self.

"H-Huh...!?"

 _"I asked... **are you happy**?"_

Her head snaps towards the voice.

An instant later, Uni falls and rolls to the side to avoid an overhead slash, raising from the floor and moving back several feet.

The exaggerated, needless movements say a lot about her state of mind.

Nepgear simply stares at her, eyes tired and yet far from unfocused. She has no stance, instead simply standing with her weapon in one hand and the other fallen by her side.

All the bleeding wounds on her body, including the uncountable minuscule glass cuts behind her legs, only make the sight more ghastly.

 _"You were saying a lot of things back there..."_

Biting back a retort, Uni takes yet another step back, reeling from her sudden sickness and likely wondering how anything that is happening is possible.

Realization comes as soon as her eyes fall on Compa's wounded form.

Syringe. Liquid. Debuff on contact. Poison. Virus. Distraction. Revive HP.

In mere seconds.

Her expression turns horrified.

She messed up.

Nepgear suddenly shoots forward, bringing her attention back to the battle. Spotting something by the edge of her vision, Uni rolls to the side yet again, avoiding another slash and grabbing the mysterious object. Rather than letting things at that, the lilac-haired girl slashes down at her enemy.

Identifying the object, the ravenette presses a button and shoots to her feet to meet the attack.

With a burning noise, a triangular blade meets a cylindrical one, both shining violet as the brightness fuses at the point of contact.

 _"You kept saying the word 'weakling'... Again and again and again..."_

Uni is gritting her teeth, sweating. Certainly, she finds it difficult to push back, even as her enemy is clearly limited to a fraction of her usual strength by her wounds and tiredness alike.

Nepgear isn't fazed, however, holding onto her weapon with both hands and simply shooting her enemy an empty, serene look.

 _"Still... I wonder... Were you mad at me..."_

Her grasp twitches.

 _"... or at yourself?"_

At a sudden surge of strength, Uni is sent back with a yelp, planting a feet behind her and only managing to hit the next slash with luck.

The lilac-haired girl doesn't seem willing to grant her a breather however. Instead, she pulls back the blade...

And takes a step forward.

It's such a simple action, and yet it throws everything off.

A stab shoots towards her, and the ravenette is forced to move back and singlehandedly bat it downwards with her obviously lacking sword training. Rather than attempting a fancy maneuver, Nepgear instead takes a step forward and lets the weapon spin harmlessly in her grasp, raising her hand at the very end of the movement and bringing it down just in time for Uni to raise hers, both blades hitting each other with a loud "hiss."

The lilac-haired girl pulls it back not an instant later, this time rotating her right arm vertically and, taking hold of the grip with both hands, bringing it upwards in a powerful slash. The attack gives her enemy no choice but to block, retreating three feet to avoid losing her balance.

And Nepgear takes another step forward.

 _"Three years ago... you weren't this strong... were you...?"_

The cylindrical blade's horizontal slash met by a vertical one, and another step forward. A sudden thrust is pushed away by a simple flick of the blade, and another step forward. Before Uni can realize what's happening, she's completely caught in the flow, the humming of their laser blades filling the silence as her own weapon meets blow after blow with far too much effort than she can spare.

Thoughtlessly, the ravenette slashes with far too much strength, the momentum keeping the weapon away from her body a second longer and allowing a weak attack, a stab this time, to connect. It happens again, and again, and again, at seemingly random intervals, her amateurish defenses not enough to hold off everything thrown at her without mistakes.

By this point, both girls are far from their original platform, moving from pathway to pathway as if to display their dangerous waltz to any monster who happen to be around.

The fact that all delinquent cats, babyvaders, and frogs-in-the-box simply stare in awe and fear alike says a lot about the mess Uni finds herself in.

 _"That's right... At the time, I was stronger..."_

Meanwhile, as she delivers another single-handed slash aimed at her enemy's neck, only for it to be blocked by a hastily raised blade, the sensation running through Nepgear's entire being is nothing short of unexplainable. She feels no tension, no apprehension, no fear, no panic, absolutely nothing that was overtaking her mind before, and not in the same active, adrenaline-pumping way as before.

Her boots slide into a stance, holding the laser sword with both hands and thrusting forward. The attack connects, taking away a sliver of her foe's HP whilst forcing her back, and the stance is broken immediately to give way for a new step.

Right now, she just feels angry.

A miscalculation, a slash aimed at the triangular blade misses it by millimeters. With nothing to stop or deviate it, the ravenette's weapon slashes her midsection. Even with the growing pain, the lilac-haired girl doesn't dare freeze.

Little by little, Nepgear is fading away. And yet, that doesn't matter.

Because she's angry.

Gritting her teeth, the Planeptunian Candidate allows her arm to take a particularly powerful stab, blood spurting out from the already opened wounds. That gives her an opening to drive the tip of her blade into her enemy's forehead, eliciting a yelp and an instinctive retreat. Without hesitation, she moves to follow.

It hurts every time she takes a step, it bleeds a little more at each swing.

But she's angry.

Doing her best to bear the pain, reminding herself over and over that the sensation is already as muted as it'll get, the lilac-haired delivers an horizontal slash—parried, pull back, step forward—an upwards attack—she leaned back to evade, follow-up possible, step forward—a diagonal downwards slash—another evasion, she's growing wary, step forward—and, planting her boot on the floor, a two-handed strike with all her strength, enough to push the ravenette back with a surprised sound following an attempted block.

Nepgear is angry because Uni turned on her, and decided to start a dangerous fight for the stupidest reasons.

The triangular blade finds its way to her neck, hitting it as if an axe attempting to cut off a tree. Biting back a scream, the girl grabs the searing-hot mana and pushes it away before scoring a stab at the ravenette's leg.

Nepgear is angry because Compa and even Underling were wounded by this person, then regarded with the same importance as mere ants.

For a single moment, her eyes aren't able to follow the battle, resulting in a slash at her side, hitting a bloody gash uncovered by her dress filled with tears. The attack draws blood that was already escaping, but it does nothing to stop her own retaliatory stab from impacting her enemy's stomach.

Nepgear is angry because the enemy before her was more than happy to disregard all the pain she went through, as if her very existence—including all her suffering—was completely meaningless when compared to the Lastationite Candidate's own.

A slash aimed at her face comes, but, just as she's about to move for it, her right foot falters. It takes a moment for the girl to adjust her stance, and yet that was far more than she could spare; so, instead of parrying, the girl instead opens her mouth and bites into the weapon just as it reaches her, eliciting a gasp from her enemy. The burning sensation is nearly unbearable, but her HP is still there, preventing any new long-lasting damage.

But, above all else...

Taking her chance, the lilac-haired girl lets go of the blade and punches the ravenette before she can react, her foe only just barely managing to keep her footing as she's sent back. The little time it bought is enough for a green glow to surround the Planeptunian Candidate for a moment, her own healing skill recovering a mere yet vital 15% HP.

Scarlet eyes simply stare back in horror, as if witnessing a monster.

Nepgear is angry because, after all that was said and done, Uni still has the gall to look scared, _terrified_ , as if she's the victim while the lilac-haired girl is some sort of villain.

The sight is enough to bring her to action, gripping her sword even harder and driving a flurry of wild, easily-parried slashes at the ravenette.

In other words, Nepgear is very angry. So angry, in fact, that she finds herself completely calm.

Perhaps she should be confused at the apparent oxymoron, but it simply makes sense; her wounded body is unable to channel this anger, so she's calm.

All she needs to do is defeat Uni, after all. If the Lastationite Candidate winds up dead, well...

It happens.

 _"Back then... if you were even weaker... than a failure like me—"_

Finally, Uni manages to score a lucky hit, her blade grazing through the larger wound on Nepgear's right arm.

The lilac-haired girl flinches... then proceeds to strike down with her raised blade, with the same intensity as all the previous attacks.

 _"—who's to blame... but yourself?"_

Uni blocks, killing the momentum with her twisted triangular sword. Even so, immediately pulling back her blade and reaching forward with her free hand, Nepgear pushes her enemy's weapon out of the way. Ignoring the burning pain, she stabs at the ravenette, taking 8% HP and forcing her back.

It's then that, without warning, some modicum of focus finally returns to the Lastationite Candidate. Mid-step, she hastily switches to a fencing stance on uneven footing, ignoring the dizziness caused by the sudden movement.

It's quite clear what her "plan" is, if it could be called that. This girl is better used to that stance, isn't she?

Unfortunately for her, it doesn't matter. Even if she can somehow block everything that comes with that stance, her HP is still falling from the poison, slowly reaching its end.

 _"Yes... I'm sure of it... Even you know you wouldn't change a thing... if you went in my place back then..."_

Nepgear's own focus slowly dims, and little by little the fight stops making sense. Her body reacts to incoming attacks, and her own movements remain as precise as her body allows, but the moving lights before her become progressively hazier, as if in a confusing dream.

Slashes meet stabs, as if two different dances yet in perfect harmony. With mana laser blades, mere flicks are enough to deny hits, simple yet effective movements paving the path to victory. Flashy acrobatics do have their place in this world filled with all sorts of unbelievable fighting styles, but it's most certainly not in the deadly waltz the girls find themselves in.

 _"But... If you want to live in denial..."_

Without warning, just as Uni parries, Nepgear pushes both weapons down in a painful burst of strength, holding them in place.

The ravenette stares at her, surprise, shock and even fear playing across her expression.

 _"Don't you **dare** involve other people in your fantasy...!"_

Raising her voice for once, the lilac-haired girl slashes upwards before her opponent can react, the blade running across Uni's leg and face, eliminating 11% HP in a single movement.

A grunt of pain sounds as the Lastationite Candidate takes a step back, accidentally inviting Nepgear to take a step forward, adopting a sudden fencing stance much like her enemy's, and send a stab that's only just barely batted away.

 _"Betraying your party for a stupid, nonsensical grudge..."_

Going back to a more general stance in a single instant, Nepgear resumes her flurry of momentum-filled slashes that her own tired eyes can't follow anymore. With no hope of escaping the engagement, Uni can do nothing but block, parry and attack without a moment of respite, her body having long taken over for her panicked mind.

 _"Forcing a fight on unwilling people..."_

Then, the worst happens.

As time goes on, the ravenette actually begins to win ground. It seems the poison plaguing her mana is less effective than her opponent's wounds, for her attacks start to hit more often, pain flares up constantly, and the movements Nepgear performs become progressively weaker and less precise.

Still, she doesn't notice. Eyes wide, breathing heavy, and sweat covering her entire self, Uni continues to fight as if she's struggling rather than having the upper hand.

 _"Attacking your opponent long after they've already lost..."_

A stab hits a particularly bad spot by Nepgear's shoulder. The girl hisses, her eyes narrowing then growing heavy when she forces them open once again; however, she doesn't stop.

Move forward, a diagonal slash upwards, hit the incoming blade, pull back, hold with both hands and stab, slash down, actually spin around for once and slash down again with the momentum; even as her flickering consciousness makes it difficult to notice, the exchange isn't nearly as fast as it once was at the beginning, but it would still be difficult for an observer to realize she's losing, especially with how she continues to advance step by step.

However, no amount of appearances can deny the truth. Her body is growing heavy by the second, her form more sloppy than usual.

Her fading mind might try to hide it, but Nepgear knows it.

 _"Tell me, Uni..."_

Even so, what else can she do, besides keep up?

It's with that sort of thinking that the lilac-haired girl carries on, not even sure anymore of what her body is doing. Her arms, already aching since long ago, are burning now, and her legs were denied the blessing that numbness would be, but that doesn't give her an excuse to stop. Not after coming so far.

She still _has_ arms and legs, after all.

 _"If she saw you like this..."_

The swirling glows of their blades slowly become indistinguishable, violet meeting violet without end. The already blurry resort surrounding the girls begins to lose its brightness.

Nepgear is nearly gone...

Nearly.

 _"If she were here... and saw you like this..."_

Something finally happens, a unusual movement which forces the very last remnants of focus back to Nepgear's eyes.

In a particularly risky retreating stab, Uni overreaches, her body reaching forward a bit too much and messing her stance. On top of that, as the lilac-haired girl leans to the side, the tip of the blade just grazes her right side, leaving the ravenette several centimeters closer than she should be.

Scarlet eyes widen. Of course the ravenette notices her mistake, but there's nothing she can do at this point.

Taking her chance, Nepgear holds her blade with both hands and stabs at her opponent's grasp itself, between the grip and palm.

 ** _"Would Noire be proud?!"_**

With a powerful movement upwards, the blade flies away, leaving a shocked Uni completely unprotected.

However, by then it's already far too difficult for the Planeptunian Candidate to maintain her hold, resulting in her own weapon escaping her grasp, launched behind her and hitting the floor with a noticeable noise. By this point, everything is dark, the air itself feels heavy, and gravity is three times as burdensome as usual.

None of that stops Nepgear from pulling her right fist back, however, a familiar white glyph appearing behind her elbow despite her HDD being long gone.

The impossibility of such a thing doesn't even register in her waning mind.

As if there wasn't enough of it before, even more panic reaches Uni's features. Instinctively, the senselessly terrified girl closes her widened eyes shut and brings up both arms to cover her face.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing happens.

Fearfully, the ravenette carefully cracks her eyes open, her breathing still hasty, fully expecting the attack to come the instant she does so.

"..."

Uni stares.

In a slow motion, both her arms fall to her sides.

Uni stares.

Along the pathways, as far as she can see, there's blood. Not much, merely minuscule splotches, as if someone had waved a little paintbrush all over the place, but it forms a long trail all the same.

Uni stares.

By her feet, Nepgear remains is fallen face first, unmoving. Most of her wounds don't seem to be bleeding much, but the sight is far from nice: the cuts are as red as ever, there are still some glass shards lodged behind her legs, and the back of her dress is completely ruined, gashes and tears revealing even more wounds she hadn't seen yet.

Uni stares.

She only has 7% HP left, and the poison's effect is still there. Even so, that shouldn't be an issue, as there's nothing keeping her from taking a simple antidote from her inventory. Nepgear is at 0% HP, however, and the new grazing wound on her right side, caused mere seconds ago, makes it clear just how close she was to death.

Uni stares.

Then, her sore legs give out from under her, aching from the poison.

In her state, she doesn't even attempt to steady herself; instead, her knees hit the floor with a loud noise, audible to any monster in the area.

But she doesn't care about it.

Not now.

"I... won..."

The words escape her lips tentatively, unsurely, even though it should be an obvious statement. Her enemies fell, and she's still here; what else can it be called, other than complete triumph?

Even so, her caution makes sense. After all, the sensation of victory is absolutely amazing—nearly unparalleled, in fact.

However, if that's the case...

Then why...?

"... ***Hic***..."

 _Why does this feel so awful?_

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 _ **... This is stupid.**_

 _ **Absolutely, infuriatingly stupid.**_

 _ **Everything went as planned, I got my three weeks of holidays. Of course, the plan was to write as much as possible to actually update this at a decent pace.**_

 _ **Except, seeing the "lonely little boy" I am, my parents decides to add as many things as possible to my schedule, and my "antisocial self" didn't have the right to refuse.**_

 _ **Classes come back, and I'm even more tired than before summer.**_

 _ **Oh, but that's not the end of it. Before, I used my mornings before class to both write and study. Now?**_

 _ **Turns out they also decided to fill my mornings with stuff to do, so now I'm just left with a little time to study. I'm getting the worst grades I've ever got, brought down from the top of my class to the middle-bottom, and I'm lucky if I can get an hour three times a week to write, as opposed to three hours per day before.**_

 _ **At most, I can get sudden bursts of and finish a small chapter/one-shot, but that sort of makes this story even more late.**_

 _ **Basically, this is really stupid.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **Then again, I suppose this isn't the place to vent.**_

 _ **In any case, there we go. Another overly long, overly late chapter.**_

 _ **At least the story should start moving now...**_

 _ **With that out of the way, I guess I should go write the next chapter... is what I'd say, if I had any more time to spare after finishing this.**_

 _ **Well, until the next delusion...**_

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"Kgh...!"

Linda stumbles as a sudden pain shoots through her body for the umpteenth time, gritting her teeth as she tries to even her breathing. It takes a lot of effort not to bring a hand to her stomach, currently covered by her closed jacket—that sort of stupid thing wouldn't end well, as she can now say from experience.

Burns aren't very freaking fun, the elf notes not for the first time, forcing herself to keep moving.

First aid's already dealt with, and the whole thing's bandaged now, but hell if she's walking around with that exposed; even a _breeze_ is enough for it to hurt a big damn lot.

She's gotta see a doctor soon, preferably one who doesn't care about patients who have posters of themselves all over the place—not that people give a crap about those, and Linda's with a totally different look, but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

Finding that sort of person's easy, though. Not being a complete moron, she already has a list full of names.

The hard part's walking there.

"...!"

It suddenly stings, although not as bad as the last time. It's like every pain's based on RNG or some crap; it's either weak as hell or strong enough to make her stop.

Maybe she shouldn't have wasted her time with the sweater girl back there.

Still, it was her fault for looking so freakin' pathetic, dammit! _Of course_ Linda had to do something—

"Tch..."

The elf pauses at a particularly strong pain.

Yep, this is bad.

Staying around to see how Pinkie would do was also a mistake, even if it did give her some important information.

First, the big bad CPU Candidate of Lastation is a freakin' crybaby, who'd have thought.

Second, Pinkie's not strong, but she's gonna be way worse than some dumbass muscle-head. Linda was under the impression she was as stupid as Railgun at first, and just so happened to provide a decent enough battle, but it's the total opposite: up until she burned herself out, the way that broad moved, whether she realized it or not, was like she expected her enemy to _always_ counter; as if that wasn't enough, she also accepted negligible damage when anything else was less efficient, all the while dishing out as much as possible.

Sure, it was all pretty damn amateurish, and she ended up losing, but, when she gets tougher, that'll be damn _dangerous_.

"When," not "if." No way in hell that broad's growth's stopping any time soon, not from what the elf saw there.

Linda will need to watch out for that one—

"YAH—!"

The greenette lets out an incredibly embarrassing yelp at the next jolt of pain, just in time to misstep spectacularly and fall on her shoulder, the impact causing an even worse reaction from the wound.

Thirty seconds later, as the pain subsides and she finds herself on her back looking at the cloudy sky, the girl reaches an additional conclusion.

She's also gonna need help. For basically everything.

Good thing that damn rat's never doing anything important.


End file.
